Storm Stories
by Pretty Phenomenal
Summary: A journey through the life of a female independent wrestler. Just give it a try. Set in 99-2001 WWF, WCW and ECW. Many characters including: Shannon Moore, The Hardys, Shane Helms, New Age Outlaws, Christian York, Joey Matthews, Kanyon, Raven, Lodi, many many more. Most of them use their real names. (OC/Shannon)
1. Arrival of a Friend

**This is is a group of stories based on some story lines from an old RP Fed. There are many... Many chapters. The first chapter is mostly back story with just OC's. Many familiar characters will make appearances in the series. (Shannon Moore, the Hardys, Shane Helms, New Age Outlaws, and many more). If you like it, let me know! Leave me a review or something.**

Storm Stories  
Arrival of a Friend!

Ravyn Storm had been wrestling on the local independent circuit for almost nine years. She started her professional career at fifteen years old. Her passion for the sport never diminished, even when it seemed like the boys didn't want her there. She insisted on wrestling men a lot of the time because most women in the business were managers or valets. Very few could wrestle an actual match. So when the boys discovered that they were wrestling a girl, most of them were pissed. Ravyn was used to them working stiff with her, trying to scare her out of the business. But when she would take their beatings and give them back the exact same treatment she could usually earn their respect.  
She worked for as many different companies as she could all over the north east. Once in a while a promoter would be impressed by her skill enough to let her carry a belt. Though those occasions were rare. She just loved wrestling, so it never mattered to her how many titles she won. She loved to play the heel character and really make the crowd hate her. But in most parts of New York she was wildly over. Her fan base stretched along the Hudson river from Glens Falls to Manhattan. Sometimes she would even get face pops in random towns because she could actually work. The fans would start out expecting a typical women's match and were floored by her matches with the guys.  
She broadened her horizons when she turned twenty-one. She started working for companies outside fo the north east. She worked in the mid-west and a few places in the south. She was hired on with a company in Chicago called Dark Championship Wrestling (DcW). The owner's name was Joe. At the time he had only hired her because he thought that he was in love with her. After a boat load of drama with Joe she left the company and took a step back from the business. It took a few months before she was ready to move on, and she decided to start her own promotion. She wasn't sure how badly she actually wanted to run shows, but she knew that she wanted to start her own wrestling school. Using almost all the money she had saved up over the last nine years she bought a ring and rented a warehouse. EwCw was born.  
She advertised all over that she was opening up. She had quite a few clients at first, but the numbers dwindled when people realized that wrestling was actually difficult. Finally, she got the break she needed. Joe, the owner of DcW, was going through some rough time in Chicago. He proposed that they run their two companies separately but share talent. And it worked like a charm. Soon Ravyn was running a weekly show and still training at her school. Profits were up enough that Ravyn could leave most of the booking to one of her guys and focus mostly on training.  
It was about this time when Ravyn's long time friend Jenn was about to graduate High School. Jenn, JJ as Ravyn called her, hated Kansas and really wanted to become a professional wrestler. Her parents were dead set against it. They hated wrestling. They hated that JJ even watched it on TV. So after much discussion JJ decided that she wanted to follow her heart and pursue a wrestling career. She left home the night of her High School graduation and drove to New York. Her family disowned her because of her decision. Ravyn provided her with a place to stay, a job and a seemingly endless supply of wrestling knowledge. But what she gave her that mattered more than anything was friendship. The girls spent countless hours in the ring. JJ spent all of her spare time working out at the arena so her mind couldn't drift back to her family that she had left behind. Ravyn tried to keep her busy with extra work around the building. JJ was in charge of merchandise sales at shows. Along with her many other responsibilities. When Ravyn was ready to go back on the road she asked JJ to come with her. Her friend was ecstatic. JJ quickly agreed. They could work on her training while they were traveling. The girls packed up Ravyn's car and headed out on their first of many adventures.

*****

A year or two later JJ was a real wrestler. She had worked her first professional match against Ravyn at the EwCw arena. She continued to improve with every match and so did the girls friendship. They were nearly inseparable. They traveled together, they worked together and they goofed off together. When Joe, the owner of DcW, decided that he was in love with JJ, Ravyn was not happy. JJ wanted no part of him, and Ravyn tried her hardest to get Joe to back off. But JJ would consistently do something to set Joe off. Ravyn tried everything she could to get the storyline re-written. He began to blur the line between real life and wrestling.  
He finally agreed to end the ridiculous story with a match between him and JJ. He insisted that it be in a steel cage. Everything went terribly wrong. The entire match was a disaster. JJ ended up suffering spinal shock that caused temporary paralysis and a separated shoulder. Ravyn was heartbroken. There was nothing she could have done to save JJ though. The fall from the top of the cage was nothing but an accident. A simple mis-step. None of her students had ever been injured like this before. The moment the match ended Ravyn was at JJ's side. She stayed with her in the hospital until she regained consciousness.

"What happened?" JJ asked groggily. "I feel like I got hit by a bus."  
"You're pretty beat up," Ravyn admitted sadly. "The match didn't really go as planned..."  
"Ravyn, why can't I move my legs?" JJ was nearly panicking.  
Ravyn quickly buzzed the doctors, "I don't know J. But we'll fix it." Her eyes filled with tears as she tried to stay strong for her friend.

*****

Two days later Ravyn walked into JJ's hospital room after that morning's wrestling school session. JJ had a beaming smile on her face.  
"I can move again!" she said excitedly. "The doctors said the swelling of my spine was pressing on something that was making me not able to move."  
"J, that's awesome!" Ravyn rushed over to hug her.  
"They said I should make a full recovery," she grinned.  
Ravyn was thrilled, but cautious, "Well, I still want you to take it slow. There's no rush for you to come back."  
A somber look crossed JJ's face, "Ravyn... what happened in that match? I blacked out. I don't remember a thing after the first couple of minutes."  
"J," Ravyn sighed. "It was bad. Really bad. I'm not sure you really need to know right now. And I'm not sure if I could even tell you yet."  
JJ was confused, "But there's a tape right?" Can't I just watch the tape?"  
Ravyn shook her head, "No. The tapes ran out just after your entrance. Even if there were a tape. I'm not sure I would even let you watch it."  
JJ nodded, still a little hurt that she couldn't figure out what had happened. "So when can I get out of here?" she sighed.  
"Soon. Maybe a day or two," Ravyn smiled. "But I got booked down south for the weekend. So the boys will be here if you need anything. Hopefully they won't make you too crazy."  
"I should be fine," JJ told her. "I just want to go home."  
"I know. You'll be okay though friend," Ravyn grinned. "And with any luck you'll be back in the ring in no time."  
Ravyn didn't catch her friend's grim look at the mention of wrestling. She hung out for a while before heading home to pack for her weekend trip.


	2. Meeting The Prince

**Familiar faces will start to pop up in this chapter. It's set around the time that The Hardys first started in the WWF. Hopefully you guys enjoy!**

Storm Stories  
Meeting The Prince

Her bags were packed and Ravyn Storm was ready to start her trip to North Carolina. Brian Armstrong, a.k.a. The Road Dogg, was waiting in the car to drive her to the airport. She lugged her bag of ring gear down the steps and heaved it into the back seat.

"They're gonna up charge that bag," he laughed.  
"Shut up!" Ravyn giggled. "It's not fifty pounds! It can't be!"  
"It's gotta be close!" Brian told her.  
"Well, maybe.." She admitted, watching the scenery pass by. "You guys will take care of JJ while I'm gone, right?"  
He looked over at her like she had five heads, "Why wouldn't we? She's like a daughter to me."  
"Well, she's the closest thing that I have to a sister," Ravyn said quietly. "I'm worried about her. So you guys are in charge while I'm gone."  
"Sure thing, boss," he winked, receiving a swat on the arm for his mocking tone.

As they pulled up to the airport doors she thanked him for the ride and promised to call as soon as she landed. She headed to the ticket counter and checked in for her flight. It didn't last terribly long. But she was still stiff. She hated flying. She was thrilled to be stepping on solid ground again at the Raleigh Durham airport. She was excited to be branching out to a new company. After the shenanigans that had gone on with DcW she needed someplace else to work. She waited on baggage claim while making a quick call to Brian. NEWA wasn't a big company, but after severing ties with Joe, anything was a better option. Feuding the two promotions would be an excellent stepping stone for both companies, and her wrestling school. Finally her duffle bag came around. She picked it up and made her way through the departures gate. She saw a guy, maybe a few years older than her holding a piece of paper with her name on it. He was only a few inches taller than her. Long blonde hair tied back into a ponytail. He looked like he had drawn the short straw to pick her up.

She walked up to him with her hand extended, "I'm Ravyn Storm. Nice to meet you."  
A look of mild amusement crossed his face. "They didn't tell me you were a girl," he blabbed before apologizing. "Sorry. I'm Shannon Moore."  
She decided to leave the obvious joke about his name alone, which he seemed to appreciate. "Well, you're stuck with me I guess," she shrugged. "What's the plan?"  
"We run two shows on Saturday and one on Sunday," he explained as they walked to his car. "I'm pretty sure that you're working all three. It's because we're at the fair this week."  
"Excellent," she grinned. "Do you know who I'm working with?"  
"Cham Pain on Sunday. I think It might be a title match," he seemed a little peeved that she was getting a title shot on her first weekend with the company. "And tomorrow I think you have Helms for your second match and me for your first."  
She nodded, "This will be fun. Do you mind calling most of our match in the ring? I hate rehearsing too much stuff."  
"Sure," he smiled. "As long as you can keep up with me."  
"That sounds like a challenge," she said confidently.  
"It might have been," he smirked at her.

He drove her to the hotel and told her that he would be there to pick her up in the morning. They exchanged phone numbers incase she needed to get a hold of him.

*****

There was knocking on her hotel room door at seven o'clock the next morning. She tried to pretend that she didn't hear it, but they just kept knocking. She dragged herself from the bed and finally answered the door.

"Seriously? Seven a.m.?" she said swinging the door open.  
Shannon looked embarrassed for a moment by her super short shorts and tank top, but shrugged it off. "Yeah, we have to promote the show," he explained.  
"Well, come on in then," she yawned. "Let me get dressed and we can go."

He hesitated for a second before giving in and sitting in the chair by the window. She brushed her teeth quickly before stepping back into the room. Not even considering where she was she started changing right in front of him. She laughed as he started blushing and turned away. "My bad," she apologized. "I'm used to just being one of the guys at home."

She stepped back into the bathroom and finished changing. A minute later she emerged fully clothed. He shook it off and they were on their way. He had stacks and stacks of flyers in the backseat of his car. They spent most of the morning leaving one on every single car they could find. When their stacks of paper were finally gone they headed across town to the fairgrounds, where the weekend's matches would be. They briefly went over their match, but decided to stick with their first plan of calling it in the ring. She was supposed to go over, which he clearly wasn't thrilled about. She assured him that it hadn't been her idea. They changed into ring gear. Ravyn opting for the Ladies room this time, and met up back at Gorilla position.

"Let's make this count," she smiled at him.  
He huffed a little, "I hope you can actually wrestle."  
"Guess you'll just have to find out," she winked as her music played.

She stepped out from behind the curtain and turned into a total heel. She sneered at the crowd and cut a promo about being stuck in this 'hick town' for two days. Just being from New York was enough to make the proud southerners despise her. But a moment later their home town boy was walking out to defend the honor of his beloved North Carolina. They argued off microphone for a moment before locking up. The match actually turned out fantastic. Their styles meshed so well that everything looked seamless. She matched his high flying move for move and was still able to take him to the mat for some technical wrestling. The crowd was out of their seats with rage when she hit him with her finisher, The Embrace, for the win. Cham Pain, the company's top heel came out to escort her to safety while Shannon lay in the ring selling her DDT. When they got back through the curtain Marty, Cham Pain, congratulated her on a good match then returned to doing his own thing. Shannon was being helped back to the curtain by the referee. She waited for him just out of sight from the crowd. When he stepped through and shook himself off she ran up to him smiling. He picked her up and hugged her, spinning around excitedly. She wrapped her legs around his waist and hugged him back giggling.

"That was possibly the best match I've ever had!" he said excitedly.  
"It was like I knew what you were thinking!" she beamed. "Everything just flowed out there."  
He set her back down, but kept a hand around her waist. "I was worried that you wouldn't be able to work and we were going to stink it up out there," he admitted. "But damn, you can go!"  
"You're not too bad yourself," she smirked.  
"I wish we could work together again," he exclaimed.  
She grinned, "I think I can work something out. I have an idea." He walked with her to the promoter's RV. She went inside and ran her idea past him. He loved it. He changed the booking sheets for the next two shows as she left. She stepped out of the RV grinning like a fool. "We're on for tonight," she told him happily.  
"Really?" he hoped.  
She nodded, "Yep. You and Helms against me and Cham Pain. The end will set up for tomorrow's show. You guys will be going over tonight."  
He was a little surprised, "Awesome! What do you want to do until then?"  
"We can't really hang out here," she frowned. "Kayfabe and all."  
He hook his head in agreement, "Want to catch a movie?"  
"Sounds good," she smiled. "Do you mind if we swing by the hotel so I can catch a shower?"  
"We've got time," he told her.

They headed back to his car after changing back into street clothes. Both of them took showers before trying to decide what movie to go see. Her phone rang while they were searching movie listings.

"Hey friend," she answered. "How ya feeling?"  
"If these two don't leave me alone I'm going to kill them," JJ grumbled referring to Brian and Billy.  
Ravyn stifled a laugh, "I'll be home on Monday. Try not to murder them before then. I need them to work this weekend."  
"I'll try," JJ huffed. "But I make no promises. Just come home soon. But kick ass down there first."  
"Oh you know I will," Ravyn promised. "Just focus on getting better, okay?"

The girls said goodbye and hung up. Ravyn told Shannon about JJ's accident. She still felt horrible. He told her that it wasn't her fault, and it could have happened to anyone. They couldn't find a movie in theaters so they decided to order one from the hotel TV. The only thing worth watching was a horror movie from a few years earlier. They ordered and settled down on the bed to watch. He put an arm around her and she rested her head on his shoulder. Within minutes of the movie starting they were both asleep.  
A few hours later Shannon's phone started ringing. He answered it groggily, then jerked awake. He hung up after apologizing profusely. He gently tried to shake Ravyn awake. She glared at him and pulled him back down onto the bed. He wrapped his arms around her and contemplated going back to sleep. But he knew that wouldn't happen. He whispered in her ear that they were already running late for the show. She sighed and rolled out of bed. She ripped a brush through her hair, picked up a pair of shoes and walked to the door. He chuckled at her and grabbed his keys.

*****

Their match that night was just as good as the morning's. She didn't work as fluidly with Shane, but the fans couldn't tell. They had a great match going. Her and Shannon were the legal men in the ring. He whipped her to the ropes and Cham Pain hit her on the back of the head with his title belt. The crowd exploded as she doubled over and Shannon hit her with his finisher for the win. Cham Pain had turned on her to defend his home town. He, Shannon and Shane celebrated while she rolled out and called for a microphone. She challenged him to a match the following afternoon. She escaped back through the curtain after he accepted. The crowd was going crazy for their home town guys as they walked back up the aisle. Ravyn was there to greet them.

"That was great guys," she said excitedly. Shane and Marty smiled. They were thrilled at the reactions they were getting. The crowd had never been so wild. The two of them walked off after thanking her for the match. She turned to Shannon happily, "Again, you were stellar sir."  
"You're only as good as your opponent," he complimented her. She blushed a little as he slipped an arm around her. "What do you want to do tonight?"  
"How about we try and watch that movie again," she suggested. He nodded in agreement. They grabbed their bags and drove back to her hotel. After showering they settled down and started the movie again. They only lasted fifteen minutes past where they had fallen asleep the first time. He had his arms wrapped around her and she slept soundly.

*****

She awoke the next morning still in Shannon's arms. She smiled to herself and gently rolled over to rest her head on his chest. He hugged her tight and opened an eye to look at her. She put a finger to his lips and shushed him before he could say anything. She pulled the covers up over their heads and tried to go back to sleep. Him trying to stifle his giggles killed any chance of that though. She tried to glare at him, but couldn't keep a straight face herself. They accepted that they were getting up. Ravyn got dressed and watched Shannon put his shoes on. She put her gear bag near the door and deposited herself in his lap. He looked at her, grinning.

"So, if the promoter and I can work something out. Would you be interested in coming up to New York and working with me?" she asked hopefully.  
He was obviously interested, "Yeah! That would be awesome!"  
"I was hoping you would say that," she smiled. "We work really well together."  
He concurred. Smiling he put a finger under her chin, tilted her face up and kissed her. "We do," he stated.

She couldn't stop herself from kissing him back. She had never felt so comfortable with anyone in the ring and out. She tried to protest when he told her they had to get back to the fair. But the only way she could get him to New York was to talk to the other booker. They grabbed their bags and drove back to the fairgrounds, holding hands the entire time. As soon as they pulled in she went to the office to try and make a deal. She met up with Shannon backstage an hour later.

"You're coming to New York in two weeks!" she squealed. "Twice a month we're going to send a few of our guys down here. And the opposite weeks a few of your guys will be coming up north!"  
He picked her up and twirled her around, "That's so fucking awesome!"

They hung out while the show started. He went out for a match and she watched from the curtain. He did the same during her match with Cham Pain, which she lost. The crowd went wild when Marty pinned her in the middle of the ring. Their home was successfully defended against the girl from New York. She shuffled back through the curtain and leapt into Shannon's arms. Marty came back up the aisle after a few more minutes of celebrating.

"Thanks," he smiled. "Really good match. They ate it up out there. I can't wait to come up to New York and play the heel!"  
"Oh you'll get so much heat up there," she assured him. "It'll be a riot. I can't wait to get you guys up there." Marty winked at Shannon and walked away smiling.  
"So you leave in the morning?" Shannon pouted.  
"Yeah, I have the school to run," she sighed. "But you'll be up in a few weeks."  
He smirked, "I'm not sure I can wait that long to see you again."  
"Well, we've still got tonight," she winked.


	3. JJ's Return

**I'll post up a few more chapters today and see if there's any interest from anyone to keep posting these.**

Storm Stories  
JJ's Return

Ravyn was in the ring at the back on the EwCw warehouse working with a new student. The kid was barely eighteen, but had a love of wrestling . She threw him to the ropes and clothes lined him to the mat. She picked him up smiling.

"That was good," she said  
His face lit up, "Thank you! I've been working on it."  
"Come back tomorrow and we'll work on some other stuff," She patted his shoulder. "Hopefully in a month or two we'll get you in a match."  
"I'll be here at ten," he nodded excitedly.

He rolled out of the ring and walked towards the locker rooms. Ravyn turned to look at the front doors of the building as they swung open. Light streamed in and the silhouette of a woman appeared in the blinding rectangle. Ravyn leapt from the ring and went running towards the figure.

She went to pick her up but stopped. "I'm so happy you're here!" she hugged her gingerly.  
JJ smiled, "I'm okay you know. Don't need to be gentle."

It had been nearly seven months since JJ had fallen from the top of a steel cage through a table and to the concrete floor. She ended up with severe injuries. Including a separated shoulder and spinal shock which had caused temporary paralysis. Ravyn was incredibly happy to see her friend back at the arena. JJ had disappeared for a while after getting out of the hospital. No one had seen her for the past five months. Finally, she had called to tell Ravyn that she was coming back.

"I was starting to worry that you'd quit on me, James," Ravyn told her.  
JJ looked down at her feet. "I almost did," she admitted shamefully.  
Ravyn's face, but she didn't let JJ see, "Doesn't matter. You're here now. So let's get to work." JJ nodded and went to the locker room to change. Ravyn shook her head. She was really worried that JJ wouldn't have the confidence she used to. JJ came back out in her gym clothes a few minutes later. "Let's just do some cardio and light weight training today. I don't want to push that shoulder too hard yet. We'll get in the ring in a few days."  
"Sounds good," JJ replied sounding relieved.

*****

A few weeks passed and JJ still wasn't herself. She just seemed to lack the passion she once had. Her matches were bland. She went through the motions but lacked the spark she had before. There was no sparkle in her eye anymore.

"So how do we fix this?" Brian Armstrong asked as they watched JJ run through a match with Billy Gunn.  
Ravyn shrugged, "I don't know. I'm afraid to be too rough on her. I mean her work is good. But it's just... blah."  
"The fire is gone," Brian agreed.  
"I was really hoping she would be ready in two weeks," Ravyn sighed. "She would have been the perfect tag partner for me against Shannon and Shane."  
"Not like this she won't," he said sadly. "So when is the boyfriend due back up anyways?"  
Ravyn blushed, "Well he's booked on our show in two weeks. He might come up sooner if I'm lucky."  
"He's a good kid," Brian told her. "A little crazy. But no one ever vouched for your sanity either."  
She tried to glare at him but just ended up laughing. "Fair enough," she said turning back to the ring. "Okay guys, that's enough."  
JJ and Billy jumped down from the ring apron. He walked over to her and Brian while JJ went to take a quick shower. "She's not the same," Billy confirmed what they already knew. "It felt like she was hesitating to do anything. Almost like she doesn't trust her own judgement."  
"That's possible," Brian concurred. "It was her decision to go back after Joe that got her hurt."  
"I would have done the same damn thing," Ravyn fumed. "That bastard had it coming."  
Billy nodded, "We all would have."  
"I'm not even sure you can say that she made that choice though," Ravyn continued. "She blacked out ten minutes into the match. She doesn't even know that she made that choice."  
"That's probably for the best," Brian stated. "If she knew what really happened her confidence would really be shot. Just let her keep thinking that she slipped."  
Ravyn shrugged, "In reality she did slip. She just doesn't need to know why right now. Maybe ever."  
"Yeah," Billy agreed. "Let's just keep it between us for now."  
JJ emerged from the locker room a few minutes later. She had a towel around her shoulders trying to dry her reddish hair. "So what are we doing tonight?"  
Brian saw an opening, "Oh.. You didn't know?"  
"I had that coming," JJ snickered.  
Billy shook his head, "You sure did."

*****

The two weeks absolutely flew by. Shannon, Shane Helms, Marty "Cham Pain", Christian York and Joey Matthews arrived at the arena with an abundance of luggage. Ravyn held the front door of the building open as they piled bags inside.

"Holy shit," she exclaimed. "You guys are only here for the weekend. I don't even have this much ring gear!"  
Shane smirked, "But we got you a present."  
"Oh?" she asked skeptically.  
"Please, keep him," Marty said pushing Shannon at her. "He's making us nuts!"  
She looked at Shannon, perplexed. "Is all this extra stuff yours?" she asked. He nodded as a smile appeared on his face. She squealed and leapt into his arms showering him with kisses. "Really, you're staying?" she questioned excitedly.  
"You bet," he grinned. "Besides, these guys refuse to take me back with them."  
Shane walked up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder, "Like Marty said. Please, keep him."  
"Gladly!" she laughed. "I can't wait for you guys to meet JJ!"  
"She's back in the ring?" Shannon asked, knowing her story.  
Ravyn smiled, "Yup. Her first real match back is tomorrow against you and Shane."  
"Great. I'm in a match full of girls!" Shane threw his arms up in mock disgust. Shannon tackled him to the floor of the arena. Everyone watched them wrestle around on the floor for a bit before bursting into laughter.  
"Shannon can show you guys where to put your stuff. I'm going to locate JJ so we can go do something tonight," Ravyn said walking off towards the office.  
Shannon took the guys on a quick tour of the arena. Marty and Shane had been there before. Shannon had visited frequently over the past months. Joey and Christian were newcomers though. They all met back up at the ring a bit later.

"Guys, this is JJ. My best friend, student, and partner in crime," Ravyn introduced. "J, this is Marty, Shane, Joey, Christian and my wonderful boyfriend whom you have yet to meet, Shannon."  
"Boyfriend, huh?" JJ asked, giving Shannon the once over. He offered to shake her hand but she waved him off momentarily to finish circling him. "I guess you'll do," she winked at him and returned his handshake.  
Shannon was flabbergasted, "Thanks?"  
Ravyn stifled a giggle with her hand, "Let's get out of here. Helms and I have a score to settle."  
"You won't beat me," Shane assured her.  
She looked at him confidently, "Oh I think you are confused my friend. For because, you will not be beating me, sir." She said pointing to herself. "I've been practicing day in and day out. I've said my prayers. I've taken my vitamins. That little upset when you got me last month will not happen again. I'll bet my career on it."  
Shannon burst into a hysterical fit of laughter. Between giggles me managed to ask, "Did you really just cut a promo on Mini-golf?"  
"Damn straight I did!" She stated. This caused the rest of the group to start laughing too.  
Shane shook his head, mildly amused, "You'd better get your game on. I'm feeling pretty on point today."  
"I'm Arnold Palmer," she said as she putted an imaginary ball. "You ain't got shit on this!" Another round of laughs engulfed the group. When everyone could breathe again they headed out to the Fun-Plex.

*****

"I told you!" Ravyn yelled as she pointed at Shane. "You thought you could beat me? I'm fucking pro!"  
"You cheated," Shane accused her.  
"I'm the heel," she replied. "I'm supposed to cheat!"  
Marty stepped between them holding the score card, "Would you two shut up? I beat both of you!"  
Ravyn scowled, "Watch it, Cham Pain!"  
Marty just laughed at her, "Care to settle this over bumper boats?"  
"I think I'll pass on all that jazz," she winked. "You guys go to town though."  
"Suit yourself," he said walking towards the other guys.  
Ravyn, JJ and Shannon sat on a picnic table overlooking the bumper boat pond as the four others battled. "So, J, you ready for your return tomorrow?" Ravyn asked her.  
"I don't think I'm as ready as I could be," she admitted.  
Shannon stepped in, "Don't worry. Shane and I will take the lead if you need us to."  
"It's not that," she paused. "I'm not sure about all the shit I used to do. I'm nervous for the first time in my life. Wrestling has never made me nervous before."  
"We'll keep it simple tomorrow," Ravyn assured her. "And if you're feeling up to it you and I can step it up on Sunday."  
Marty pulled his boat up to the table and drenched Shannon and Ravyn with the water cannon on the front. Shannon leapt up with mock rage and ran off to the boats to get revenge. The girls just giggled at the boys being boys.

"He's something," JJ smiled.  
Ravyn grinned, "He sure is. It'll be great to have him around to help with the school He's a great teacher."

*****

The next night's show came quickly. Too quickly for some. JJ was really freaking herself out about the match. Ravyn was standing beside her as Billy and Brian walked back through the curtain after their match with York and Matthews.  
"Those kids are great," Billy said to Ravyn. "They're going to be big stars someday."  
Ravyn nodded happily, "I hope so. They have more than enough talent."  
Brian looked over at JJ, who was getting paler by the moment. "Hey, J," he said quietly. "Everything okay?"  
She swallowed hard, "Yeah I'll be alright. Let's do this."

The girls music played and they walked down to the ring. The crowd was super excited to see JJ's return. A "welcome back" chant rang out through the arena, getting a huge smile out of JJ. Shannon and Shane came out next to a chorus of boos. They took a few minutes to taunt the crowd and really get some heat. Ravyn and Shannon started off the match. They powered through a couple of quick spots until he tagged in Shane. They hit a double team suplex on Ravyn. She tried desperately to tag JJ in, but just couldn't reach her. Finally after a few more minutes of battling with Shane, Ravyn was able to make the hot tag. JJ came in with guns blazing. She took Shane out with a standing dropkick. Shannon snuck through the ropes, but was met with a dropkick of his own. The crowd went nuts. Their girls were coming back! Ravyn and Shannon rolled back to their corners to watch JJ work with Shane. It started out fine, but after a few small spots JJ started to freeze up. He would go to suplex her, and she would block. After getting frustrated and almost hitting her for real, Shane tagged Shannon in. Shannon worked at a much faster pace than Shane, which was what JJ liked. But today she just couldn't keep up. Ravyn watched him call spots and JJ either ignored him or no sold his offensive moves. Something was wrong.  
JJ managed to get Shannon knocked down to the mat. Instinctively she went to the corner to climb the ropes. But as she started her way up she froze. The crowd was done. The match had been lost for them. JJ quickly reached over and slapped Ravyn's hand. Ravyn picked up Shannon and snap suplexed him in the center of the ring. She ran to the ropes and hit him with an Asai moonsault to get a quick pin. The girls were the first ones back through the curtain.

"J, what happened out there?" Ravyn was concerned.  
"I don't know. I choked," JJ sighed. "I guess I'm not ready yet."  
Shannon and Shane came back through the curtain looking embarrassed. "That was the shits," Shane said bluntly, which earned him a punch to the arm Shannon. JJ walked away dejectedly. "Sorry, but it was," he huffed.  
Ravyn knew it, "Something is wrong with her. I'm going to have to re-write tomorrow's card. I can't let her go back out there if she's going to give me a match like that."  
"I'll help you," Shannon offered walking to the office with her.

*****

Three days later, the Carolina boys had gone home. Things had almost returned to normal at the arena. JJ spent most of her time watching Ravyn and Shannon teach. She seemed a little bored at times, but she was still so distant about wrestling. When the morning class was over Ravyn stepped out of the ring and sat down next to her at ringside. Shannon remained in the ring with one of their newer students working on perfecting the most basic things.

"So, how are you feeling today?" Ravyn asked.  
JJ shrugged, "I don't know. Fine I guess."  
"Well, come on then," Ravyn said grabbing her hand and dragging her towards the ring. "Show me you've still got it."

JJ warmed up while Ravyn and Shannon finished with their student. After he had rolled out of the ring Ravyn and JJ locked up. Immediately Ravyn could feel that her heart wasn't in it. Shannon desperately tried to get JJ fired up by leaping around and shouting encouraging words. But it only seemed to work for a few minutes. Once JJ even thought about going up the ropes she shut down. Shannon walked up and put an arm around her. "It'll come back to you," he promised. "But you can't force it. Take a step back. Keep training in the gym. But I don't even want you to think about stepping back in the ring until you're really ready. Hesitation will only get you or someone else hurt in here. And I don't want that." JJ nodded and stepped out of the ring trying to hide the tears building up in her eyes. Ravyn thanked Shannon for saying what she hadn't had the nerve to. He hugged her tight and promised her it would all turn out okay.

*****

A week later Ravyn and Shannon were in the ring with a few of the wrestlers in training. As two of their students ran through a match they critiqued their work. By the end they were working a fluid match. JJ arrived as their match was winding down. She sat in one of the ringside chairs. Along with the other students she clapped when the match finished. Instead of going to the locker room the group joined JJ at ringside. Ravyn walked up to the ropes to talk to the group, but before she could say anything Shannon dropped behind her and rolled her into a schoolboy. The group played referee and counted out loud. Ravyn kicked out at two. She jumped up and smirked, shoving Shannon. She staggered back a few steps.  
They locked up and were soon flying around the ring. At one point Ravyn shot Shannon to the ropes and then started running the other set. They cross crossed a few times before Shannon skidded to a stop in the middle of the ring. He put up his hands as Ravyn was coming at him and yelled "Stop!" Ravyn stopped in front of him. He pointed to the ceiling, and when she looked up he clothes lined her to the mat. He went for a pin, but again she kicked out at two. She jumped to her feet and they were off again. High spot after high spot. She came off the top then he would come off the top. It was like watching a pair of bouncing rubber balls. A moment later they were running opposite sets of ropes again. Shannon came to a halt and yelled "stop" just like before. But when he pointed to the ceiling this time instead of looking up Ravyn hit him square in the chest with a standing dropkick. He fell to the mat and she started to go for the ropes again. JJ stood up from her seat.  
"Wait friend!" she said. Shannon's head popped up off the mat to look at her. JJ quickly stepped up onto the ring apron and started ascending the turnbuckles.. Ravyn stepped back to the corner opposite of JJ and started smiling. JJ got to the top turnbuckle and without hesitation hit a flawless moonsault onto Shannon. When JJ stood up Ravyn tackled her back to the ground hugging her madly. A moment later Shannon joined their hug. After a few minutes of celebration Ravyn and JJ locked up. They worked together just like old times. The three of them rotated on and off with each other. JJ had absolutely no problem coming off the ropes. She even won their match after doing her moonsault onto Ravyn. The group of students was on their feet when they finally got to count to three. They burst into applause when Ravyn and Shannon raised JJ's hands in victory. After hugging JJ more Ravyn jumped into Shannon's arms kissing him happily.

"You did it!" Ravyn said as he set her down. "Without you I don't think I could have gotten my JJ back."  
"It wasn't me," he said as a smile appeared on his face. "Okay, I helped! But J did all the work."  
JJ smiled, "No, Shan, you really helped. You made me realize what I was missing. You came in and bounded around all sorts of out of control and reminded me how much I loved the high flying, risk taking moves."  
"I helped," he grinned. "Really though. You were fantastic. Compared to that match with Shane and I you were incredible. It's like you stepped into a phone booth and came out Super JJ or something!"  
Ravyn slid her arms around his waist. "What he really means is that he's really happy you're back so that he can work with you this weekend," she laughed. "Actually.. I have a wild idea, hun."  
He raised an eyebrow inquisitively, "Oh?"  
"How would the Bad Street Boys feel about making a return?" she asked.  
"Who are the Bad Street Boys?" JJ asked skeptically.  
Shannon laughed, "Me, Shane, Joey and Christian. Why do you want us back together?"  
Ravyn shrugged, "Oh, no reason. I just thought and eight man elimination tag match would be really cool to put on the next card."  
"But you don't even have a four man team here," he protested.  
"Yes we do!" JJ insisted. "Me, Ravyn and the Outlaws!"  
Ravyn nodded stepping over next to JJ and the two of them striking a pose. "What about it Moore? Think you guys are tough enough?"  
"Oh," he laughed. "It's on!"


	4. The Mason Dixon Line

Storm Stories  
The Mason-Dixon Line

"Shannon, phone,"JJ yelled from the office of the EwCw arena. She heard him finish his set of reps and set the barbell down.  
"Who is it?" he asked walking in from the gym.  
"Don't know," she shrugged on her way out. "Didn't ask."

He walked over and picked up the phone from Ravyn's desk. "Hello?... Hey Jeff! How's the dirty dirty?... yeah, I've been watching you guys on tv... Really, they won't let you work any indy shows?... Sure, I can find a somebody to cover for you guys... anytime man... congratulations on the contract.. I'll talk to you soon... later brother." He couldn't help grinning to himself when he pictured JJ's reaction when she found out who she had just been talking to. He walked out to the ring where Ravyn and JJ were laying on the canvas flipping through the most recent Pro Wrestling Illustrated. He climbed in the ring and dropped to the mat next to Ravyn.  
"Hey hun," she smiled at him. "You're looking chipper. Good phone call?"  
"Yeah," he nudged her so she would pay attention to his next sentence. "Jeff Hardy needs a favor."  
JJ's eyes bugged out of her head as she heard Shannon's answer. "Shut up," she said is disbelief. "That was not Jeff Hardy."  
Ravyn was nearly in hysterics. "Sure was," Shannon giggled. "Him and Matt aren't allowed to work any independent shows. So he called to see if I could find anybody to cover for them."  
"Shut the fuck up," JJ still couldn't believe it.  
Between fits of laughter Ravyn managed to get out, "Should have asked who it was."  
JJ was blushing madly, "Oh my god, I hate you guys." her crush on Jeff had been the running joke any time the three of them were watching wrestling together.  
Shannon chuckled, "So can you ladies be ready to fly tomorrow morning?"  
"He asked you to bring girls?" Ravyn laughed.  
"No, he told me he needed a tag team to cover for the Hardyz," Shannon explained. "And I'm going to take Joey Abs place with Shane."  
"You've gotta be fucking with me, Moore," JJ started to get angry at what she assumed was a game. "There's no way you know Jeff Hardy. And there's definitely no way you told him Ravyn and I would take the Hardy Boyz place on a show."  
Shannon looked at her seriously, "J, he said he needed a tag team. I told him I'd find one. If you don't want to go I can ask the Outlaws."  
"No!" JJ shrieked. "I'll be ready!" This incited another round of laughter from Ravyn and Shannon.

*****

JJ was bouncing in her plane sear as they sat on the tarmac at Raleigh Durham Airport. "Pinch me," she insisted. Ravyn did, causing JJ to squeal. "Ow! Okay, okay it's for real. I'm really sitting in North Carolina. This is so awesome!"  
Ravyn looked at JJ and chuckled, "You're marking out a little bit."  
"I am," JJ admitted.  
"You two are ridiculous," Shannon shook his head. "Come on, let's go get our bags."  
He took Ravyn's hand and led them off of the plane to baggage claim. Their bags seemed to take forever to come around the carousel. But one by one they all appeared. They stepped through the departures gate and Shannon rented a car. He drove to their hotel in Southern Pines and checked into their rooms. They kept the adjoining door open between the rooms to keep in touch about the nights plans. Shannon was on and off the phone walking from room to room as the girls tried to watch tv on JJ's bed. He came into the room and sat on the chair by the window. He hung up the phone and put his feet up on the bed.

"You guys want to go to Cham Pain's?" he asked them. "It's hot as shit and he's got a pool."  
"Sure," they replied. Ravyn added, "Not like we have anything else to do."  
"Yeah, there's nothing on tv," JJ concurred.

The girls rolled off of opposite sides of the bed and grabbed bathing suits from their bags. Shannon picked up the car keys and they left for Marty's. Shannon took the long route so he could show JJ the area. He pulled into Marty's driveway and they got out of the car. Shannon didn't bother going to the front door. By the number of cars out front, the party was outside. As they walked around the side of the house the pool came into view. About twenty people were in and around the pool, just hanging out. Marty was talking to Shane Helms and Joey Matthews and looked up to see them.

"Hey guys," he called over to them. "Thanks for coming down on such short notice."  
"No problem," Ravyn smiled. "Anything for Cham Pain."  
Marty smiled, "Thanks. It really sucks that Matt and Jeff aren't allowed to do local shit anymore."  
"You know we've always got your back," Shannon laughed.

They hung out with Shane and had a few drinks before getting in the pool. First the diving and splash contests started. Shane turned out to be a pro at gigantic splashes. As the night wore on and more drinks were consumed, people started to trickle out and the real fun began. When only Shannon, Ravyn, JJ, Shane, Joey and Marty remained the battle was on. There were mini wrestling matches everywhere. Marty was coming off the diving board with a cross body onto Joey. Ravyn and Shane were locked up fighting for the upper hand and JJ had Shannon in a headlock near the steps. JJ spun Shannon around and stepped up the steps to deliver Shannon a tornado bulldog. Marty climbed back out and sat on the edge of the pool with his legs dangling in. Shane finally had the upper hand on Ravyn and suplexed her into the deep end. Shane stood up tall like a super hero, proud of his accomplishment, only to receive a dropkick from the outside from JJ. Joey, who had snuck out unnoticed, came from behind to snap mare Marty into the pool.  
What had started as a free for all soon became a tag match. The girls teamed up. As did Shannon and Marty and Shane and Joey. The tags were fast and furious. Ravyn and Shannon were the legal men in the ring, but soon got distracted by each other. JJ teamed up with Marty since their partners couldn't detatch themselves from each other. Shane and Marty locked up, and Marty got Shane into a side headlock. JJ came off the concrete with a dropkick to Shane's head. Joey followed up with a hurricanrana to Marty from the outside. JJ suplexed Shane, and the match was called. Marty and JJ celebrated by dumping a cooler full of ice onto Ravyn and Shannon, who had been sitting on the pool steps making out. Oblivious to anything else. The look of shock on their faces as the ice and freezing water hit them was priceless.

"Ya'll need to chill the fuck out!" Marty laughed as they dove to deeper water to escape the cold.

Everyone got a kick out of their reaction. They all got out of the pool and dried off. Shortly after they found themselves in front of the tv watching old tapes. They watched a match where the Serial Thrillaz took on Christian York and Joey. The next match was Cham Pain and Kid Dynamo. Cham Pain came out to the ring first and cut a promo on the kid. As Marty dropped the microphone the opening bars of "Mm Bop" played over the speakers and Kid Dynamo appeared. JJ reached over to gently shut Ravyn's jaw, which had dropped the second the music hit.

"Really, Shan?" JJ tried containing her laughter. "Hanson?"  
Shannon looked at her dead seriously, "We don't talk about it."

This sent the room into hysterics. They finished up the match and called it a night. JJ and Ravyn laughed about the Hanson thing the entire way back to the hotel. By the time they got there the girls had a plan for the next nights match.

*****

The next night Shannon drove them to the High School in Southern pines. The girls went off to hang out with Marty for a bit before discussing their match with Shannon and Shane. The four of them only decided on a finish, the rest would be called in the ring. But right before bell time the girls were nowhere to be found. The match before theirs was just finishing up, and Shane was concerned that they weren't going to make it. Shannon assured him that the girls would never miss a show. The guy's music played and they came out to the huge hometown pop. They worked the crowd and posed in every corner.  
Now that the boys were out of sight JJ and Ravyn snuck from their secret hiding spot. As they stood in the gorilla position JJ leaned over and whispered "Let's start a riot." in Ravyn's ear. Ravyn smirked, knowing that they were about to. With Marty's help they were about to blow the roof off of Southern Pines High School. Their music, "Riot" by Three Days Grace, blared over the speaker system. But the girls didn't walk out yet. They let the boys get nervous for a few more seconds before popping out of the curtain just as "Let's start a riot" was yelled. And they did. Shane's jaw dropped and he slapped Shannon to get him to look down the aisle. JJ was wearing black tights and a "Serial Thrillaz" shirt. Ravyn however was wearing Kid Dynamo's old purple tights and an I.C.P. Riddle Box shirt. They struck a b-boy stance at the top of the aisle. The crowd couldn't handle them mocking their boys. They were on fire, throwing things at them and booing like crazy. As the girls made their way to the ring the fans really tore into them. Working, Ravyn looked out at them and yelled "YOU PAID TO SEE ME!"  
The look of utter shock on the guys' faces made the effort totally worth while. When they got into the ring JJ expertly mimicked Shane's Serial Thrillaz dance and Ravyn struck Kid Dynamo's arms crossed pose with striking precision. The teams took to their corners. Shannon would start for the guys. Ravyn and JJ played rock, paper, scissor to see who would start for them. Ravyn won, so she started. In the middle of the ring she and Shannon locked up.

"Are those really my pants?" he asked quietly as they worked the tie up.  
"Yeah," Ravyn smirked. "They look way better on me."  
"You wish," he shot her into the ropes.

They put together a few minutes of Shannon getting over before the heels took the advantage. Any time Shannon would go after Ravyn she would step between the ropes so he couldn't touch her. The crowd was fuming. Shannon couldn't catch a break, he tagged in Shane. Ravyn tagged JJ in at the same time. JJ and Shane worked excellently, JJ keeping the advantage. When Shane started to gain momentum the girls started to cheat. Ravyn tripped Shane as he ran the ropes. JJ kept him cut off from his half of the ring. The girls kept cheating any chance they could. The one time Shane was close enough to make a tag, Ravyn had distracted the referee so he wouldn't see it, and it didn't count. By this time the crowd was ready to kill the girls. JJ had laid Shane out on the mat. She tagged Ravyn who went straight up the ropes. She came off with a frog splash, but Shane managed to roll out of the way. He quickly scrambled to make the hot tag to Shannon.  
The crowd exploded as Shannon knocked both girls out over and over again. He tossed JJ to the outside and Shane dove over the top rope to keep her down. Shannon kicked Ravyn in the ribs and went to the top for his finisher. He nailed it and got the three count. As he stood up he saw Ravyn start laughing. He and Shane were announced as the winners, then he found out why. "Mm Bop" rang out over the speakers as Shannon's hand was raised by the referee. Not even Shane could keep a straight face. Ravyn was on the mat in complete hysterics. JJ was laughing on the steps trying not to fall back onto the floor laughing. Shannon was in the ring almost frozen with shock. Shane looked up at him from the floor and doubled over with laughter.  
"Really?" Shannon said to Ravyn who was trying to catch her breath.  
"Totally," she giggled.  
Shannon shook his head in amusement before walking back up the aisle. JJ and Ravyn followed when they had regained their composure. Shannon and Shane were waiting for them right behind the curtain.

"Did that really just happen?" Shane asked in astonishment.  
"I'm not really sure," Shannon replied quietly. Ravyn and JJ stepped through the curtain grinning from ear to ear. "I don't know if I want to kiss you or kill you right now," Shannon stammered.  
Shane started laughing, "Oh, you want to kiss her. She's already in your pants."  
"How did you get in my pants anyways?" Shannon questioned.  
"We had some help," Ravyn told them.  
JJ finished her sentence, "From our good friend, Cham Pain."  
Shannon shook his head, "That's what I get for keeping some of my stuff at his place."

Ravyn nodded, enjoying their little rib far too much. They went to change, then met up with Marty before heading back to the hotel.

"Thanks for your help, Marty," Ravyn smiled. "Couldn't have pulled that one off without you."  
Marty laughed, "The look on their faces was worth it."  
"I owe you. That was priceless," Ravyn told him.  
"If you've got room for me up there this week that would be awesome," Marty hinted.  
Ravyn contemplated, "I don't have anything right now. But if you come up I'll make sure you have a spot."  
"I'll let you know before you fly out tomorrow," he promised.

*****

As it turned out Marty had decided that he could make it, since he boarded the same plane as everyone else. Ravyn was in a slight panic trying to find him someone to work with for Saturday. She was making phone calls and sending emails up to the minute the plane taxied down the runway. And she was right back at it the moment they landed. JJ drove home while Shannon slept in the back seat. Ravyn stayed busy on the phone with someone named Chris. Marty, Shane, Christian and Joey followed them in their rental car. By the time they got home Ravyn had relaxed some. They stayed in and watched movies at the arena before everyone went off to bed.  
In the morning everyone met back at the arena where JJ and Billy manned the kitchen. They made piles of food, which quickly disappeared with all the hungry guys around. Everyone ate and talked before starting to set up the arena for that night's show. Chairs were set up, the show apron was put on the ring, guardrails corralled the chairs, and black floor mats were set up around the ring. Everyone worked on something. The sound system was checked, merchandise booth stocked and the kitchen prepped for concessions. By the time everything was ready there was only half an hour until doors opened.  
Ravyn looked around and took a mental head count. Someone was missing. She got on the phone and called her friend who was coming to work with Cham Pain. He assured her that he was only moments away. Fans were already lined up out front so she told him to use the back entrance. And three minutes later he was walking in the back door.  
"Kanyon!" JJ yelled as she took off running towards him and leapt into his arms. "What the hell are you doing here?"  
"Ravyn told me she needed a favor," he smiled. "Guess I'm here to wrestle."  
"Are you working with Marty?" JJ grinned. "He's going to shit himself."  
"I think I am," Kanyon said as Ravyn walked up and hugged him, only slightly less enthusiastically than JJ.  
"Thank you so much for saving my ass!" Ravyn laughed. "You're going to work with Cham Pain. First name Cham, last name Pain. He's the heel up here from North Carolina. I'll introduce you guys."

The three of them headed into the dressing room. Kanyon stopped to say hi to all of his friends, taking extra time with Billy and Brian. Ravyn introduced him to Marty and left them alone to work on their match. Marty was a little star struck, but very happy to be working with Kanyon. An hour later the show began. They had drawn a decent house with the eight man tag match on the card. Having Kanyon appear would be an added bonus for those in attendance. Unfortunately it was too late to promote that he would be there, which would have drawn a bigger crowd. JJ was sitting with Billy and Brian talking about the spots the Bad Street Boys wanted to work into the match. Marty and Kanyon were in the gorilla position getting ready to head out for their match. Ravyn waved them off as Marty headed out first. Kanyon grinned and stepped from the curtain to a huge pop. Ravyn's match was next so she hurried to get changed and double check the spots. Ten minutes later they all met up behind the curtain. Kanyon came back first looking satisfied with his match. Marty hobbled back using the referee to hold himself up. Once he was through the curtain he was fine, and grinning like a fool.  
The Bad Street Boys went out first, nearly getting booed back through the curtain. The New York crowd really hated the proud southerners. Shane really laid it on thick. One of the fans yelled "Helms you fucking suck!" But Shane was ready for it and used the line Ravyn had only two days ago. "YOU PAID TO SEE ME!" This only made the crowd boo harder. The fans popped huge as The Outlaws music played. Brian and Billy came through the curtain first and the girls followed.  
The teams stood face to face in the ring as the hum of the crowd surrounded them. Before the bell could even ring the southerners jumped the hometown team. There was chaos in the ring. Billy and Brian clothes lined Shane and Christian over the ropes. They were met by dropkicks from Shannon and Joey, which sent them to the floor too. Joey and Shannon dove over the top rope onto the guys on the floor. Ravyn to the ropes, stepped up onto the middle one and stopped. She held the top rope up and spread her legs wide as JJ dove between her legs and the top two ropes. Ravyn stepped onto the top rope and hit a corkscrew plancha. Everyone was laid out on the floor. Shane and Billy were the first ones back in the ring. Slowly everyone else got back to their feet and went to their corners. The tags came lightening fast so everyone could work with everyone else. The six high flyers were coming off the ropes constantly. Billy and Brian kept taking the smaller guys to the mat to slow them down. As Brian had Joey in a front face lock on the mat Christian came into the ring attempting to break them up. But JJ stopped him with a springboard missile dropkick. This caused all eight men to end up in the ring with another mini brawl. No one knew who the legal men were anymore, not even the ref. Ravyn and Shannon ended up on the outside, fighting in the crowd. Billy tossed both Shane and Christian from the ring, following the out to keep them at bay. JJ took advantage of their position and hit them with a somersault plancha over the top rope. She was back to her feet and up into the corner as Brian his Joey with a pump-handle slam. He tagged her in and she climbed to the top, landing a picture perfect moonsault onto Joey, earning the victory. The crowd rose to give them a standing ovation. Even though they hated the southerners they had earned their respect. The team celebrated before heading to the back. They all thanked each other for an excellent match.

Kanyon met them behind the curtain, smiling. "Great match. I wish I could stay, but I have to get back to work," he explained. "Shannon, send me a tape if you even need a favor. Especially if you're stuck here putting up with those two."

Ravyn and JJ tried scowling at him before they started grinning. Shannon thanked him for the opportunity. They all said goodbye to him as he headed off to his car. Ravyn walked him out, thanking him again for making the appearance. He gave her a hug and told her he would be in touch soon about bringing some other talent to come work for her. He hinted to a couple names but wouldn't say for sure who he could get. He headed off and Ravyn went back inside. Most of the crowd was still in the building, so she sent the roster out to take pictures and sign autographs. She and Shannon hung back to have a few minutes alone before going out to join their teams. The local fans were starting to pick up on their relationship. With him being one of the trainers at the school she knew the time was coming for his face turn. She just had to figure out how.


	5. Arrival of a Rival

Storm Stories  
Arrival of a Rival

Ravyn and Shannon trudged off of the plane after it had landed at Albany International. They had just spent the weekend in North Carolina working a few shows. Ravyn was still wildly hated in the south, but Shannon was starting to catch some of her heat. The local fans saw them traveling together and they were starting to catch wind of their relationship. Which wasn't hard considering they rode to shows and flew in together. As they stood at the baggage carousel Ravyn rested her head on his shoulder. Their bags came around and they headed to the departures gate.

"How was your trip friends?" JJ asked as they came into view.  
Ravyn yawned, "Long. And it's too damn hot in the south."  
"And they're starting to hate me in the dirty dirty," Shannon added.  
"Oh?" JJ asked.  
Ravyn nodded sleepily, "We need to do something with that. If you're getting booed in your home town you have a problem."  
JJ nodded, "Looks like it's time to make a choice."

They walked out of the airport door and JJ led them to where Brian was waiting in the car. JJ offered Ravyn the front seat, but she waved off the offer and climbed in the back and laid down with her head in Shannon's lap. Brian shook his head in amusement and pulled into the busy parking lot.

"So, Shan," JJ started. "Are you going to turn face and join up with us?"  
"I have no idea. If I did that there really wouldn't be any heels left," he said stroking Ravyn's hair.  
"You're right," Ravyn agreed. "Most of our heels are the Carolina crew right now."  
JJ pondered for a moment, "Why don't you just turn on us Ravyn?" Then you and Shannon could be the full time heels up here."  
"J, that's brilliant," Ravyn admitted. "If I weren't so tired I could kiss you, but I'm not getting up."  
Brian dropped them off at Ravyn's house, then headed down to the arena with JJ.

*****

Ravyn sat in her office at the arena, feet on the desk tapping her pen on the storyline binder. JJ and Brian were out in the ring working with a client. Shannon walked past the office door and stopped when he saw her. He smiled to himself and walked in, kissing her forehead.

"What's wrong, babe?" he asked.  
She sighed, "I'm just not sure how to write this. And I'm not sure how it will affect things in North Carolina."  
"J already said to turn you against the Outlaws," he reminded her.  
"I know, but I'm not sure I'll get enough heat just turning on Brian and Billy," she confided.  
Shannon wrapped his arms around her shoulders, "Then I think you know you need to turn on J. She's crazy over since her comeback. That would get you more heat than any other option."  
"Friend versus friend," Ravyn thought.  
"Teacher versus student," he added.  
She smiled, "It could work. Now do I tell her or leave her to be shocked with the rest of the crowd?"  
"I'm not sure. It depends on how you're going to run the rest of the program," he advised. "I've got some ideas we could work with. We can go over them later though. Come work out with me."  
She put down her notebook and stood up to follow him, but the phone rang. She held up a finger to tell him to wait for her. "Hello," she answered. "Hey Kanyon!.. yeah send me a list!... I'll get back to you tonight, just shoot it to my email... call me tomorrow... Nobody, friend. Nobody," she laughed as she hung up the phone.  
"What did he say?" Shannon asked.  
She grinned, "He's got a list of guys he wants me to look through. That he could send up here to work a program."  
"That's awesome!" Shannon smiled. "Now will you come work out with me?"  
"Yes, dear," she smiled following him to the ring.

*****

On Sunday they started to tease Ravyn's heel turn. While Ravyn and JJ tagged against Joey and Christian, Ravyn would seemingly be off in her own little world daydreaming. This left JJ open to many double team moves and eventually cost them the match. JJ painfully got up from the pin and hobbled over to Ravyn, who was leaning on the turnbuckle staring into space. JJ waved her hand in front of her friend's face, snapping her out of her trance. JJ looked at her confused and Ravyn looked away in embarrassment. She kept her distracted act up through the weekend at autograph signings and Sunday's show. She made sure most of the crowd caught her staring out from the curtain during Shannon's match with Billy.  
The next weekend they started running a similar angle in North Carolina where Shannon was distracted by Ravyn. His friends and the crowd were frustrated by his absentmindedness. He cost them matches and they started to push him around, showing the fans that they were pissed. The next time they came down Ravyn was scheduled to work a match with Cham Pain. But for now they headed home to keep working on their program there.  
The following Saturday JJ worked a match with Shane who had Shannon in his corner and she had Ravyn in hers. As the two in the ring were running ropes and leap frogging over each other Ravyn reached behind her to trip Shane, but she caught JJ's ankle instead. Her friend sat up and shot Ravyn a look of astonishment, to which Ravyn shrugged her shoulders and stared across the ring to Shannon. Shane won the match after another interference from Shannon. JJ shoved Ravyn hard after the match, send her scrambling back towards the ropes.

"What's up with you?" JJ yelled.  
Ravyn just shrugged, "I don't know. I'll make up for it tomorrow."

*****

The next morning Ravyn's new addition arrived. A smiling and energetic Lodi appeared at the arena ready to work that nights show. Shannon and Shane had known him previously from the North Carolina independent circuit and showed him around. The plan was to debut him as a singles guy and see how the crowd took to him. They already anticipated him being a heel though. Shannon introduced him to Ravyn and they hit it off instantly.

"I always seem to be working for Ravens," he joked. "Just don't try to kill me like Scotty does."  
"I'll try not to," Ravyn laughed. "We'll see how things start off for you and go from there."  
Brad laughed, "Oh, I'm pretty sure they'll hate me. I don't even have to try to get heat anymore."  
"That's what I figured," she smiled. "I've got you with one of our up and coming kids. Just make sure he learns something."  
"I can handle that," he chuckled.  
"You gonna stick around tomorrow?" she asked.  
"Sure, my flight out isn't until Tuesday morning," he explained. "Why? What's tomorrow?"  
"Oh, we usually hang out and goof off on Monday's," she explained. "You're more than welcome to partake in our nonsense."  
He smirked, "I may have to take you up on that."

They went off in their own directions to set up for the show. The fans started lining up almost an hour before doors opened. Everything was ready for the show. Fans trickled in and the show was off without a hitch. Lodi made his debut, and as predicted chants of "Lodi Sucks" rang through the arena as soon as he stepped through the curtain. And he fed off of it the entire match. He paused to hold up signs mocking EwCw and the New York crowd. He beat his opponent and enjoyed the boos on his way to the back. Ravyn and JJ were up next tagging against Shane and Shannon.  
Their match was going well until Shane pulled the referee between him and JJ when she went for a splash into the corner. Seeing that the referee was down Shannon stepped off the mat and grabbed a kendo stick from under the ring.. He raised it above his head aiming at JJ. Ravyn stepped in between them, protecting her friend. She begged and pleaded with him not to hit her. Finally she seemed to have him talked out of it. She walked up to him slowly, raising her hand up to meet his on the handle. Gently, she pried it from his fingers and lowered it to the ground. He took a step back and turned away from her. The crowd popped as she raised it high above her head. But a second later they gasped in shock as Ravyn spun on her heel to smash the cane across JJ's skull. She smirked and stepped aside so Shane could get the pin. The referee crawled over and counted to three.  
Shannon came in to the ring and stepped up to Ravyn, who gripped the handle of the kendo stick tightly. He looked her up and down. Then reached one hand around her waist and the other behind her head pulling her towards him and kissing her. At first she seemed stunned, but the kendo stick dropped from her hand and she wrapped her arms around him returning his kiss. The fans were absolutely livid. How dare she do that to her best friend? They were ready to riot. Moments after their kiss ended the three of them started being pelted with garbage. They quickly made their way to the back to avoid anything destroying the ring. JJ was helped back through the curtain by the referee. Ravyn was waiting and immediately examined her head.

JJ laughed, "I'm find friend! It made more noise than anything else."  
"I swung pretty hard," Ravyn admitted. "Sorry friend."  
After he was sure JJ was alright, Shannon added, "It looked fucking awesome. Absolutely devastating!"  
"And you definitely got plenty of heat for it!" JJ concurred.  
"So much that we might have to sleep here and never leave the arena," Shannon joked. "Incase those lunatics are waiting outside for us!"

They hung out together a while longer before working on the arena breakdown. When everything was back to normal they called it a night.

*****

The next day everyone was hanging out in the arena. Lodi had come to join in the fun. Most everyone was sitting around the ring just bull shitting. JJ and Billy were in the kitchen making ridiculous amounts of food.

"I'm so hungry I could eat an elephant," Brian exclaimed.  
Shane nodded, "Me too!"  
"Bet I can eat more than you," Brian challenged.  
"Don't get your hopes up buddy," Shane warned. "I'm an eating machine!"  
Brian grinned, "Well, I'm high as shit and I know I can out eat you, kid."  
"That sounds like an accepted challenge to me," Ravyn laughed. "Anyone else want to get in on this?" Shannon decided to try as well as one of the students. "Well than, as an avid followed of competitive eating, here are your rules. You will have five minutes to consume as many hot dogs and buns as you can. When time is up you must remove your hand from your face for ten seconds. You may dunk the buns, but not in excess of five seconds. A reversal of fortune will result in disqualification. Good luck gurgitators," she concluded.

JJ and Billy called out that food was ready and a bunch of the boys went to bring out the big platters of hot dogs. The trays were set down on the table in front of the four competitors. Each eater had a judge to count their consumption. They each piled their plates to start with. Ravyn checked her watch and signaled them to start eating. The four guys dove onto their piles. Brian took an early lead and hit a steady rhythm, consuming hot dog after hot dog. Shannon and Shane were incredibly close in numbers and Eddy threw in the towel after five hot dogs. Brian was the clear winner after five minutes with fourteen hot dogs and buns. Shannon ended up with eight and Shane with nine.

*****

Shannon finished his heel turn that weekend in North Carolina. The fans hated that he chose Ravyn over his friends and home town. They headed back home the next Monday. Ravyn couldn't shake the feeling that something had been off at the show that weekend.

"You okay, babe?" Shannon asked as they were unpacking their suitcases.  
"I think so," she shrugged. "But I'm not sure. I think I recognized someone at the show yesterday."  
He looked at her nonchalantly, "That wouldn't be shocking. A lot of the same people go to those shows every week."  
"No, not a fan," she explained. "Someone I know personally. I think I saw Joe there."  
Shannon looked confused, "The guy that got J hurt? Why would he be there?"  
"I don't want to think about it," she started. "But I have a feeling he found out that she's been working down there from time to time."

"Do you think he'll try anything?" he asked.  
She looked worried, "If there's one thing I know about Joe, it's that he's unpredictable. I wouldn't put anything past him. He's crazy."  
"Maybe you should tell J," he suggested.  
"I'm going to have to," she sighed. "If it was him, I bet he'll be here next."

Their conversation ended when they heard JJ walk into the front door of the house. She came upstairs to see how their trip had gone. But was met with Ravyn's story of potential horror. JJ protested when Ravyn insisted she not hang out at the arena too much. She still didn't realize how much Joe had to do with her injuries from that crazy cage match they had had. Finally JJ accepted that she was going to have to find something else to do when she wasn't working, at least until they were sure it was safe.

*****

Friday afternoon Ravyn had sent JJ to the airport to pick up the Carolina boys. Only her and Shannon were at the arena. He was in the gym doing a cardio session while she started stocking the merchandise booth. She didn't think twice when she heard the front door open. Any one of the boys could be there to work out. But it wasn't. She looked up from the pile of shirts she was folding and a wave of panic washed over her. Joe was walking right towards her. She stepped around the table to confront him, hoping Shannon was almost done with his workout.

"Joe, just turn around," she advised. "You're not welcome here."  
He ignored her, "Where's JJ?"  
"On vacation," she fibbed. "Now leave please."  
"How polite of you," he grinned maniacally. "Tell me where she is."  
"No, it's none of your business where she is," Ravyn said, gesturing towards the door.  
Joe was clearly getting angry with her lack of cooperation. "Yes, it is my business," he hissed.  
"Joe, get the fuck out of my building before I have you arrested... again," she said through gritted teeth.  
He lowered his head down to be eye level with her and whispered, "Make me."

Before she could make a move he shoved her backwards into the cement wall. She tried desperately to defend herself but the wind had been knocked out of her. His height advantage allowed him to bring his knee up to meet her stomach over and over as he slammed her head into the wall. She crumpled to the floor holding her ribs when he finally let go of her hair.

"Tell JJ I'm looking for her," he laughed as he turned and left the building.  
She could hear Shannon running on the treadmill singing along with his headphones. She knew she was in trouble. When Joe had kneed her in the ribs then slammed her back against the wall she had heard the snap of bone. She just wasn't sure which. She tried to sit up, but the pain was too much for her. She saw stars for a second before the arena faded to black.

*****

Ravyn's eyes fluttered open later that night. Shannon's head was resting on the bed at her side, her hand in his. She was in the hospital. At first she didn't know why, but then the pain reminded her. She tried to move her free hand to nudge Shannon, but the wires and IV's hindered her. He felt her trying to move around and woke up instantly.

"He, how are you feeling?" he asked softly.  
"My head hurts. And my ribs are killing me," she admitted. "And if you don't get me out of here I'm going to freak out."  
He shook his head sadly, "Hun, they're not going to let you out tonight. Probably not even tomorrow. You've got four broken ribs and you were unconscious for almost nine hours. What the hell happened?"  
"Joe," she sighed. "He came looking for J and when I told him to leave he slammed me into the wall. I don't remember much after that. Except you singing on the treadmill."  
"I know it was Joe. I saw the security tapes," he told her. "When I came out of the gym you were on the ground next to the merch booth. I didn't know what happened. You really had me worried. I'm so sorry I wasn't there when he came in."  
"Don't feel bad," she assured him. "He was in and out. Everything happened so quickly. And it's not like we were screaming at each other. There's no way you could have heard us in the gym."  
He shook his head, "Still, I don't even know how long you were down before I got out there."  
She shrugged, "I don't know. All I know is that I want to go home."  
"Not likely," he advised. "I'll go find the doctor and you can ask him yourself."  
"Where's JJ?" she asked as Shannon stood up.  
Shannon smiled, "Entertaining Cham Pain and Helms in the waiting room. I'll tell her you asked for her."

He walked out the door after gently kissing her forehead. She stared down at herself. The IV's in her arm were freaking her out. Before she could start ripping them out JJ appeared in the doorway.

"Friend," she started. "I see what you're doing there. Stop it."  
Ravyn's head shot up, looking guilty, "J, get me out of here. You know I hate hospitals."  
"You're going to be stuck here at least over night," JJ promised her. "You okay?"  
"I've been better," Ravyn said bluntly. "That fucker really got me good. Every time I breathe it hurts. And my head feels like it's going to explode."  
"Then Marty is definitely not allowed to visit you," JJ joked. "He's on fire with the comedy tonight. Your ribs won't be able to handle it."  
"Yeah, I can't handle Marty right now," Ravyn said. "I want to go back to the arena and finish setting up for tomorrow though."  
JJ looked at her like she was crazy, "If you're allowed to leave you're definitely not going to the arena."  
"But I have so much to do before.." JJ cut her off.  
"We'll handle it. You need to rest those ribs. Just focus on getting better," JJ insisted.  
Ravyn crossed her arms painfully and huffed, "Fine."  
"By the way," JJ continued. "I made some calls about Joe. They arrested him at the mall for stealing a car. And we can add all of this to his charges."  
"Good," Ravyn nodded. "I hope he get's his ass kicked in jail."

The doctor knocked and smiled at the girls then shut the door. He introduced himself and sat down on the stool near the sink. He looked over at JJ skeptically.  
"Anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of her," Ravyn anticipated his question. "When can I go home?"  
"I'd like to keep you until at least tomorrow afternoon," he started. "You got a nasty concussion. Three broken ribs on your right side and one on your left. Unfortunately you also lost the baby. I'd like to make sure you're really alright before sending you home. Those ribs could easily shift and puncture..."  
"Hold on. I lost the what?" Ravyn and JJ were both shocked.  
"The baby... Oh dear, you didn't even know did you?" he said sadly. Ravyn just shook her head no. "You were almost 5 weeks along."  
He kept talking but the girls were both still stuck on the same piece of the conversation. Realizing he was being ignored, the doctor said goodnight to the girls. Ravyn looked at JJ, fighting back tears.  
"You can't tell Shannon," she swallowed hard. "It would tear him apart if he knew."  
JJ nodded, "I won't"


	6. Leaving the Ravyn's Nest

Storm Stories  
Leaving the Ravyn's Nest

A week had passed since Ravyn had finally been released from the hospital. She was under doctors orders not to even step into the ring for three months. She could barely move with how sore her ribs were. So no matter how badly she wanted to, she physically could not get into the ring even to teach. She was miserable. She tried to spend as little time at the arena as she could, because it only made her want to work. She spent most of her time laying on the hard floor of her livingroom willing the tv to play something watchable. Shannon and JJ came in the door while she was watching Chef Ramsay.

"Please, entertain me," she begged. "Daytime tv is rotting my brain. I think I've seen every episode of Kitchen Nightmares ever made."  
Shannon laid down on the floor next to her, gently kissing her cheek, "J's going to make dinner. Do you want anything else?"  
"No, just keep me company. I'm so bored," she pleaded.  
He smiled, " I'm not going anywhere. How are your ribs?"  
"Hurt like a mother fucker," she sighed. "That's why I'm not moving. I'm going to stay right here until bed."  
"You know, if you would just take the pain medication you wouldn't be hurting so bad," he reasoned.  
She looked at him grumpily, "You know how I feel about pain pills. I'd rather suffer."  
"Suit yourself," he shrugged. "I just hate seeing you like this."  
She snuggled up to him as best as she could, resting her head on his shoulder, "I'm better with you here."  
JJ came into the livingroom and smiled at the two of them on the floor together. "I assume you two want dinner out here?" she asked. Shannon nodded to her and she returned to the kitchen. A minute later she came back with plates of food for the three of them. She sat on the couch and handed everyone their plates. "So how you doing friend?"  
"Today I've been asking myself why I didn't drop a brick on Joe's head when I had the chance three years ago," Ravyn only half joked.  
"Good question," JJ confirmed. "You let me know if you figure that one out."  
"Because I'm a dumb ass," Ravyn concluded. "That's the only answer I could come to."  
"I wonder what made him decide to show up now," Shannon thought.  
"He's crazy," JJ explained. "And he doesn't know how to take no for an answer."  
"Don't let her fool you," Ravyn looked at Shannon. "She doesn't either. If she would have just listened to me in the first place she wouldn't have gotten hurt either."  
"I still don't even know what happened in that match," JJ sighed. "I remember parts, but I don't know how I got as hurt as I did. Is there a tape I can watch?"  
Ravyn panicked briefly, "No, um, the camera ran out of tape right after your entrances. That night ran really long."  
JJ nodded accepting her answer as the truth. She was clearly disappointed that she would never know what really happened. "Well guys I'm going to go work on some stuff. I'll leave you guys to... lay on the floor or whatever you plan on doing," she chuckled. "Night."  
They waves goodnight to her as she walked up the stairs. "Why did you lie to her?" Shannon asked.  
"What do you mean?" Ravyn countered.  
"You told her that the tapes ran out," he said. "And your face says you lied."  
"She can't know how bad it was," Ravyn explained. "If she knew what really happened it would ruin her confidence all over again."  
"But that means there is a tape. Can I watch it?" he asked innocently.  
Ravyn thought for a moment, not sure if she should share the footage or not. "Not now," she replied. "When she falls asleep we can watch it. But it isn't pretty. It wasn't a real wrestling match, is was a brawl."  
Shannon nodded in understanding. They lay together on the floor watching Chef Ramsay scream at whomever got in his way for a few hours before Ravyn told Shannon where the tape was. He put it in the vcr and she fast forwarded to the match.

"Ugh," Shannon cringed. "What an ugly son of a bitch."  
Ravyn fought laughter, "Ow, stop! They can't all be as handsome as you."

Shannon kissed her gently and rested a hand on her stomach as they watched. Ravyn tried to hide her unease. Soon she forgot that his hand was even there as the match started. Shannon watched in horror as the match went on. Joe was brutalizing JJ, and when she finally started to get the upper hand the worst of it happened. She climbed to the top of the cage, contemplated escaping down to the outside, but decided to attack Joe again. When she turned back to joe she lost her footing and went crashing through a table to the outside off of the cage. The footage showed a bit more. Paramedics tending to her, Ravyn at her side and then it all faded out.

"Wow," was all Shannon could muster.  
"I told you it was bad," she said.  
"I didn't realize how bad," he admitted. "She's definitely not ready to see that."  
Ravyn agreed, "That's why I told her that it doesn't exist."

He kissed her forehead and assured her that she was doing the right thing. Carefully he helped her up and took her to bed.

*****

Ravyn was back at the arena three weeks later. She couldn't do much more than manage with the current state of her ribs. She still had a lot of pain, but she was walking around much better. Sitting at home was just making her crazy with boredom. They had started a program with her managing Lodi, almost mimicking Raven's Flock. Lodi had discovered a rubber ducky at a flea market and carried it around with him. He named it Carlos and made sure the fans knew how much he adored the duck. Shannon was the main competitor of their little stable and Lodi provided the comedy relief. Occasionally Shane would team up with them when they needed another member.  
Ravyn had the card all set up for the Sunday show. Shane and Lodi would take on the Outlaws. And JJ would go up against Shannon for stealing her best friend. She relaxed in the office waiting for the matches she was part of. Her mind raced, she couldn't stop thinking about what the doctor had said only a month ago. "Unfortunately you lost the baby," she mumbled to herself. She looked down and put her hands on her stomach. Swallowing hard she fought getting emotional about it. The crowd popped at the end of the match in the ring. She got up slowly and headed to the curtain to meet up with Shane and Brad.  
They walked to the ring with Lodi holding up signs and cuddling Carlos. He set the duck down gently in their corner while the Outlaws made their entrance. They brought JJ with them to even the odds. The match went well, each team taunted the other. Billy kept threatening to steal Carlos. At some point in the match he succeeded. He went running to the back with Lodi in hot pursuit, leaving Shane to get cleanly pinned by Brian. Ravyn helped Shane to the back and then paced the floor while she waited for Shannon's match. There was only one match to wait through so she didn't get many laps in. JJ came up and put a hand on her shoulder.

"You okay, friend?" JJ sounded concerned.  
"My mind just isn't in it tonight," Ravyn looked down.  
JJ's eyes widened and she hugged her friend gently, "It'll be okay. You know I'm here for you, and Shannon would be too if he knew."  
"Knew what?" Shannon asked walking up behind them.  
"She doesn't feel so hot," JJ covered. "I told her to sit this one out, and that you would agree with me."  
He looked at Ravyn with worry in his eyes, "You okay, baby?"  
She nodded, "I just over did it today. Standing in the ring really hurt with the bouncing around."  
"Go rest," he insisted. "J and I can handle this one."  
"I'm just gonna go home," she sighed. "Eddy said he could drop me off on his way home."  
"I'll see you in a little bit," Shannon kissed her forehead.  
She smiled, "I love you. Make them crazy out there tonight."  
"We will," he promised. "I love you, too."

Ravyn waved goodbye to JJ before meeting up with one of her students to get a ride home.

*****

JJ came bursting into the front door of the house two hours later. Ravyn barely glanced up from her magazine. JJ ran around the house looking for Ravyn, who was sitting in her office. JJ appeared in the doorway nearly bubbling over with excitement.

"You'll never guess what happened tonight," JJ bounced up and down giddily. "A scout from the WWF was in the crowd tonight. And I'm going to go with him and work on a developmental contract!"  
"J that's awesome!" Ravyn said hugging her friend gently. "I can't believe it! How did I miss him out there?"  
"He was way in the back," JJ informed her. "He only came and said something to be after the autograph session. I can't wait. I'm leaving in two weeks!"  
"Wow, already?" Ravyn asked.  
"Yeah," JJ picked up on the twinge of sadness in her friend's voice. "They want to get me to as many shows as they can. Who knows, maybe you'll see me on tv in a couple of months!"  
Ravyn smiled, "I know you'll make it to tv. And I'll watch you every week."  
"Thanks friend. I couldn't have done it without you," JJ told her happily.  
"That's what friends are for," Ravyn said trying to hide her jealousy.  
"I'm gonna go start packing," JJ squealed turning and running up the stairs.  
Shannon walked into her office a moment later with two mugs of hot tea. "Kid sure is excited," he nodded after her.  
"Yeah, she should be," Ravyn sighed. "It's a big deal. I'm proud of her."  
Shannon looked at her knowingly. "I know what you're thinking," he said. "And you have every right to feel this way."  
"Some how Joe manages to fuck my life up even from jail," she stewed. "If he would have just stayed gone.."  
"It would be you getting the contract and not JJ," he finished her thought. "I was in the match tonight, too. I'm in the same boat as you. But we can't be bitter. Especially now. She needs our support more than ever."  
"I know," Ravyn shrugged. "But why the one time a scout shows up, I can barely walk without having to hold my breath because the pain is so bad. It just doesn't seem fair."  
He sat down on the couch next to her and pulled her into his lap, "I know babe. I know."

*****

Over the next few weeks they worked towards finishing up JJ's storyline. She and Ravyn halfway made up, but Ravyn remained the heel in the fans eyes. They finished the autograph session after JJ's last show. Many of her fans were upset that she was leaving for the WWF. At the same time they were thrilled that she was being given such a chance. As the last of the fans trickled out of the arena Ravyn locked the door behind them. The rest of the workers set up tables with food and drinks. This was JJ's going away party.  
Brian and Billy cracked open the first beers and the party began. They had decided that they were going to get everyone as drunk as possible to celebrate. Music pulsed through the arena as everyone mingled. Ravyn and JJ were parked on a set of folding chairs talking about J's schedule for the first month. Cham Pain was standing with Shannon and Lodi when an dance contest broke out. Marty showed the boys Cham Pain's exotic dance skills to become the unspoken victor of the competition. Ravyn and JJ laughed at the boys being silly.

"I can't believe you leave tomorrow," Ravyn stated.  
"I know," JJ grinned. "I'll be back though. You can't get rid of me that easily."  
Ravyn smiled, "You better come visit us when you can."  
"You know I will," JJ promised. "The first few months will be hard, but after that I'll make sure I come and see you guys."  
"You're going to be so busy," Ravyn sympathized with her as the phone rang. "Hang on let me grab that."

Ravyn stood up and walked as quickly as she could manage to the office. She stayed in there for a few minutes before letting Shannon know that the call was for him. She returned to her seat with JJ. "Kanyon says he's really proud of you," Ravyn told her. "And he knows you'll make it big."  
"Aw, that was Kanyon?" JJ smiled.  
"Yeah he had to talk to Shannon about something," she explained. "Who knows with those two."

Shannon stepped out of the office just long enough to get Ravyn's attention and wave her over. She told JJ to hold on again and headed over to the office. When she got inside Shannon shut the door behind her. She sat down on the couch gingerly, trying to avoid jarring her still sore ribs. He paced between her desk and the couch, unsure of how to word what he was about to say. She noticed his discomfort and started to worry.

"Hun," she interrupted his pacing. "You're making me nervous. And you're wearing ruts in the floor."  
"Kanyon just offered me a job with WCW," he blurted out.  
Ravyn's eyes lit up, "Baby that's awesome!" she stood up and hugged him as hard as she could handle.  
"Really?" he started to smile. "You're not mad?"  
"Of course not," she replied. "A little jealous sure. But you really deserve it. As long as I'll still get to see you I'm really happy for you."  
He grinned, "You know I can't not see you. Once we settle in I can bring you on the road with us."  
She looked confused, "We?"  
"Kanyon said he was told to hire ten cruiserweights," Shannon explained. "He asked me to bring someone to work with. So Shane is coming too."  
"That's so cool that you'll get to work with Shane," she told him. "We'll have to throw you a party too."  
Shannon looked down at his feet, "Well, that's the thing. This will have to be my party too. We're in North Carolina next weekend, and I start with WCW the following Monday."  
"Oh," her face fell. "So soon?"  
Shannon nodded, "I'm sorry."  
"Don't be," she assured him. "I would be far more mad at you if you didn't follow through with this opportunity."  
"Kanyon says the pay rate is really good too," Shannon hinted. "So I shouldn't have to work too hard before we can settle down someplace. Maybe start a family."  
His hopeful tone really tugged at her heart strings. But she hid her feelings from him. "I'd like that," she paused. "Did you tell Shane yet?"  
"No," he said kissing her. "I wanted to tell you first." she kissed him back, "don't leave him hanging."

Shannon smiled and left the office. Ravyn shut the door behind him and laid down on the couch. She was thrilled for him, really. But she couldn't help feeling like she just couldn't catch a break. She felt like she just wasn't good enough. She knew better though. Circumstances caused things to happen the way that they did. She listened to everyone cheer as Shannon and Shane announced their good news. She just didn't feel much like celebrating anymore. Her heart still hurt from Shannon's mention of starting a family. She had planned to tell him what had happened at the hospital, but now she felt like she couldn't. It would break his heart if he knew he was so close to having that family. And for him to know that it was Joe's fault would be unfair. She couldn't ruin all of the good things that were about to happen for him. She took a few more minutes to collect herself before returning to the party.

*****

Shannon solidified his heel status in North Carolina by proclaiming that he was leaving for the big leagues. And that he was too good for their promotion anyways. The fans ate it up. Shane made a goodbye speech too, but was met with love and well wishes. Ravyn and Shannon spent their last night together for the next few weeks. And the next morning Ravyn was on a plane headed home, alone.


	7. Blocking it Out

**Anyone reading? Thoughts? Opinions?**

 **This chapter gets a little intense.**

Storm Stories  
Blocking it Out

Shannon and JJ had set off on their career adventures just over a month ago. Ravyn had been absolutely struggling to run the school herself. Their shows were far less frequent now. Her ribs were almost healed enough for her to be back in the ring. But her heart wasn't in it like it had been before. With her boyfriend and best friend hired by the country's two biggest companies, she just didn't care anymore. She hadn't heard from JJ since she had left. But she knew that her schedule was hectic. Shannon called every night before he went to bed and most mornings when he got up. She missed him terribly. Waking up in their bed every morning alone was making her realize how much she loved him. She regretted not telling him about the baby, but she felt like that was the right thing to do. If she had somehow caused him not to go to WCW she wouldn't be able to forgive herself.  
She watched from outside of the ring as two of her students worked on some moves. She let them try to figure it out themselves before talking them through how it was really done. They learned quickly and were soon working through the spots fluidly. She told them that they were done and headed back to her office to check the schedule. She almost dreaded teaching her next group. It wasn't that they were bad students, she just didn't feel like it anymore. She had to force herself to go out to the ring for her next session. She leaned on the apron as her group warmed up. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to find Brian, who was in town visiting for a few weeks.

"Why don't you let me take over for a while," he suggested. "Take a break from wrestling for a bit. I'm here for a couple of weeks."  
She sighed, "Thanks Bri. I guess it's pretty obvious that I don't want to be here."  
"Yeah," he nodded. "I picked up on that."

Ravyn turned from the ring, walked to the office, grabbed her keys and left the arena. At first she headed home, then realized how lonely home had become. She drove around town hoping something interesting would happen. She couldn't stop thinking about Shannon. Every place she passed reminded her of him. She just didn't know what to do with herself anymore. She finally headed home and settled down for the night. Shannon called a few hours later.

"Hey hun," she tried to sound happy.  
"Hey beautiful," he responded. "Clear up your schedule for the next week. You're flying down to come hang out with us for a few days. And if you're up to it a couple of vacation days after that."  
"Really?" she asked in disbelief. "I need to get out of here. And I miss you so much."  
"I miss you too. I can't wait to see you," he told her. "I called the arena first. Brian answered, he said you haven't really been yourself lately."  
She paused, "Yeah, I think I need to take a break for a bit. I'm glad I'll actually be away."  
"Well, I'm happy I got the okay to take you with us for a while," he admitted.  
"Me too," she sighed with relief.  
They talked for a while longer discussing plane tickets and travel plans before saying goodnight.

*****

Ravyn's plane landed in California just before ten AM. She grabbed her bags from the luggage claim and walked to the gate. Shannon was waiting for her just outside of the security line. She dropped her bags and went running into his arms. He picked her up and twirled her around carefully, not wanting to hurt her. She kissed him happily as he set her back down.

"Have you thought about where you want to go for vacation?" he asked smiling.  
She nodded, "How about Wildwood? It's far enough away from everything."  
"It can finally just be us," he grinned.  
She let a smile creep across her face, "I can't wait."  
"Then that's what we'll do," he promised. "Let's go find Shane and check into the hotel."

She followed him through the airport until they found Shane sitting near a window thumbing through the latest Green Lantern issue. When he saw them coming he got up and put his comic away. He hugged Ravyn and the trio headed to rent a car. Shane was picky about his rental vehicles and went thought all of the options before making a decision. Ravyn and Shannon sat outside on a bench while Shane did the paperwork.

"So where do we go first?" Ravyn asked.  
"Hotel," Shannon smiled. "Then we need to be at the arena by three. Nitro goes live at four."  
"Are you guys on tonight?" she wondered.  
Shannon smirked, "Sure are. But no laughing at us okay?"  
They watched Shane walk past them on his way to find their car. "I wouldn't laugh at you guys," she giggled. "I think you look cute in your 3 Count gear."  
"Liar," he kissed her. "You just like our singing."  
She grinned, "Oh you know that's my favorite part!"  
"When we sing," he put his arm around her. "I think about you."  
She kissed his cheek, "You might be the liar now."

Shannon protested mockingly as Shane pulled up in their rental. Ravyn deposited herself in the back and they were on their way to the hotel.

*****

Ravyn had a great time hanging out with the WCW guys for the next couple of days. She really enjoyed most of the crew in the locker room. But she was more happy to finally be on vacation with Shannon. They checked into a little hotel a few blocks from the boardwalk and headed to the beach. They walked along the water holding hands and just enjoying being together. They laid on the beach for a while before heading to the boardwalk to ride some rides. Ravyn's ribs were starting to feel better so they could goof off a lot more than they had in the past few months.  
The next day as they were getting ready to go to the beach Shannon's phone rang. "What's up Cham Pain?" he answered. "Oh yeah?... that's awesome dude... yeah I'll let her know... have fun man... yeah give me a call... Later man." He looked over at Ravyn as he hung up the phone. "Marty just got hired at ECW," she said trying not to upset her.  
She swallowed hard. "Good for him," she almost whispered.  
He pulled her into his arms as a tear slid down her cheek. Softly he kissed her forehead, promising her that everything would be alright.

*****

Days later Ravyn was back at the arena, back to moping around. She taught once in a while. Rarely made an effort to work out, except when Brian forced her to. It was almost like Brian and Eddy were her babysitters. She started drinking frequently, and not trying to hide it. She showed up almost every morning hung over. It was obvious that her depression was getting out of hand. She headed home before the sun even went down, leaving Brian and Eddy to close up. She paced around the house with a bottle of vodka in her hand, swigging from it every couple of steps. As the bottle slowly drained and her walking turned to staggering, she found herself in the bathroom. She sat on the edge of the tub with a bottle of prescription pain pills in her hand. She couldn't think straight anymore. She took another swallow from the vodka bottle. For the first time in her life she wanted it all to go away. Nothing was right anymore. She had never felt so alone. She popped the top off of her pills and emptied them into her hand. The tears rolled down her face as she made her decision. As she raised her handful of pills to her mouth her phone rang. She contemplated not answering, but changed her mind.

"Hello," she answered quietly.  
"Hey babe. How's your day going?" Shannon asked happily.  
At the sound of Shannon's voice she dropped the pills into the toilet. "Better now," she said, instantly sober. "What's up?"  
"Marty just called me," he said excitedly. "And you should be expecting a call from Paul Heyman in the next few days."  
"Really?" she stammered.  
"Indeed," he exclaimed. "But I have to go for now. Call me in the morning?"  
"Of course," she promised. "Thanks for letting me know. I love you."  
"I love you, too," he said before hanging up.

She flipped her phone shut and sank to the floor of the bathroom. She couldn't hold back her tears any longer.

Paul Heyman did call a few days later. He asked Ravyn to be in Philadelphia for their next tv taping. She hit the gym hardcore until she left for Philly. Upon arrival at the ECW arena she introduced herself to all of the boys. Marty, Christian York and Joey Matthews were there so she had people to hang out with. She didn't end up working the show, but she got to see how everything worked in ECW. Paul asked her to work the next string of house shows and tv taping in the northeast. She was excited to finally be on the road again. Even if she just ended up being a manager in ECW, it was better than nothing.  
She traveled with the Carolina boys, mostly so she could drink and not have to worry about driving. As thrilled as she was about the job, her mind was still not clear. Not a day passed that she didn't think about the baby that could have been. What could have been the start of the family that Shannon so badly wanted. It was tearing her up inside. She knew that she had to tell him eventually, but she didn't want to hurt him. The crazy mixed thoughts she had on the situation kept her returning to the bottle. And after every show she would go out with the boys and party to forget about it. What had started out as drinking away her problems soon turned into partaking in whatever the drug of the night seemed to be. She was out of control.  
A week later they were doing a tv taping in Poughkeepsie, New York. Ravyn wasn't booked on the show, but was in the back partying with the boys. She was sitting around a table playing cards and drinking when a few pills were dropped on the table in front of her. Each of the others soon had some too. She kept playing and set them aside for later. The game continued until one of the guys was out of cards. She scooped up the pills and prepped her drink to wash them down. As she was about to pop them into her mouth a hand stopped her.

"Scotty tells me you've been like this for a week and a half," a familiar voice said sternly. She turned around to see Brad Cain, Lodi, looking down at her. "I think we need to have a talk."  
"I don't really think we do," the liquor spoke for her. She tried popping the pills again, but he smacked them out of her hand and sent them skittering across the floor. "What the fuck dude?"  
"Don't cop an attitude with me, missy," he said standing her up. "Get your bags. We're leaving."  
"No, I'm not," she argued.

Apparently she had no choice in the matter as Brad picked her up and flung her over his shoulder. He grabbed her bag and walked out of the venue. She fought him every step of the way, kicking and screaming. He tossed her bag into the trunk and leaned her up against the car. She tried to go back inside, but her drunkness just caused her to stumble into Brad and fall back against the car.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked grabbing her chin and forcing her to look at him. "Are you trying to kill yourself? What happened to the Ravyn I worked for?"

Reality hit her harder than she had anticipated. She felt the first tear roll down her cheek and there was no stopping it after that. Right there in the parking lot she told him everything. Her jealousy towards Shannon and JJ, the baby and her near suicide attempt. He pulled her into his arms as she sobbed through her jumbled thoughts. He let her finish and helped her into the car.

"I already told Paul you were done," he explained. "Let's get you home." She nodded and let him drive her the two hours back to Albany.

*****

The next morning she woke up with a pounding headache. She got out of bed and dragged herself down the stairs. Brad was in the kitchen making breakfast. She sat down at the table and tried to make her head stop throbbing.

"Thanks for last night," she said, clearly embarrassed.  
He looked up from the eggs he was cooking, "That's what friends are for."  
"Really," she paused. "You probably saved my life. What the hell were you even doing there?"  
"I came to visit Scotty," he told her. "And when I got there he told me that you were out of control. Really, he saved your ass. Not me." She nodded in recognition. "Shannon should be home soon. I called him after we got home last night." A look of panic flashed over her. "I didn't tell him. I just said that you really needed him here and that you weren't yourself."  
She swallowed hard, "I really have to tell him. I didn't realize how much it was hurting me not to."  
"You'll be okay kid," he assured her as he put their plates on the table in front of them.

They ate in silence, and when they finished Brad headed out. She thanked him again and went to take a shower before Shannon got home. She walked out of the bathroom toweling her hair dry. She walked down the stairs and looked around. The house was a mess. She began cleaning up the path of destruction she had left in her wake. She was still cleaning when Shannon came in the door, looking worried. He dropped his bags right inside the door and walked up to Ravyn, hugging her tightly.

"Please tell me you're okay," he begged.  
"I am now," she said honestly. "But I wasn't before." She sat down on the couch with him next to her. He went to say something, but she held her finger up to his lips. "Let me get this out before I lose the nerve," she sighed. "When I got hurt it was more than just my ribs. I didn't know it at the time, but I was pregnant. And I lost the baby when Joe kicked the shit out of me."  
The look of shock on his face was tearing her up. "That fucking bastard," his voice wavered and she could tell her was heartbroken. "Why didn't you tell me before?"  
She looked down sadly. "I didn't want to hurt you. I thought I could handle it myself. But I just didn't know how bad it would be," she admitted. "And I know how bad you wanted a family. I didn't want it to ruin your job with WCW. I thought it would be better if you just didn't know. And not telling you was the worst plan ever. I've just been in a ridiculous downward spiral since Joe showed up again. I wouldn't be here right now if it weren't for Brad... he saved my life. Literally."  
"Let's promise not to keep secrets from each other," he said puling her onto his lap and wiping a tear from his eye. "I've got the next couple of days off. But I think you should come on the road with me for a while. They need someone to run the locker room and you could help with the kids doing dark matches."  
"But what will I do about EwCw?" she worried.  
He thought logically for a moment, "Close it down for a bit. I think it needs a break. And so do you and your workers."  
She nodded in agreement. It was settled then. She would go on the road with Shannon and let EwCw go on a break. She was ready to make the change. She never wanted to be in the place she was over the last few days. She was ready to let herself start to enjoy life again.


	8. Homecoming

Storm Stories  
Homecoming

Shannon and Shane had just won an amazing Ladder match at Starrcade 2000. They came back celebrating and thanking the other guys in the match. Ravyn met Shannon at the production table and kissed him excitedly.

"That was amazing," she said in awe. "Are you okay though?"  
He smiled, "A bit sore. But I'll be fine."  
"The rest of the boys will have a hard time topping that one," she beamed.  
Shane grinned proudly, "They better not even try."

They went back to the locker room to relax and watch the rest of the pay per view. Shannon laid on one of the couches with his head in Ravyn's lap. Shane parked himself on the floor in front of her leaning back against the couch. She played with Shannon's hair absentmindedly, watching the street fight. For the first time in months she was happy again. She got to travel the country with her boyfriend and his best friend. She was getting paid to do what she loved. And she had finally gotten back in the ring after being hurt. Her ribs only bothered her once in a while, and she could work through a complete match with minimal pain. She got to train the younger guys and help them work through their matches. There were so many talented kids that didn't get any tv time. That was one of the biggest problems in WCW. Some of them were more talented than most of the main eventers. She was sure that some day they would be leading the company as top guys. She really loved working with AJ Styles. Her goal was to get him started on tv within the next few months. For now though she was content to hang out with her boys.

"You guys are the best," she sighed.  
Shannon looked up at her on his lap, "I know."  
"I definitely know," Shane agreed.  
"Want to head out after this one?" she asked them. "Daff asked us to go out with her and the guys."  
"Works for me," Shane said as Shannon just nodded.

She patted Shane's head jokingly. Shannon giggled at the two of them swatting at each other. She grabbed a pillow from behind Shannon and clobbered Shane with it. Soon the three of them were in the middle of a full blown pillow fight. The whumps of the pillows were almost drowned out by their laughter, and the rest of the locker room had stopped to watch their battle. Ravyn and Shannon teamed up on Shane, but in the blink of an eye the boys teamed up on her to take her down. She collapsed in a fit of giggles as Shane stood up and proudly proclaimed himself as the winner of their fight. The rest of the locker room applauded as Shane took a bow, flaunting his victory.  
Two hours later Shane was still celebrating his string of wins that night. "Jabronies take notice, Sugar Shane has arrived!" he announced upon their arrival at the bar. Ravyn and Shannon giggled to themselves as Shane disappeared into the crowd. They found where Daffney and Devon were and hung out with them for the night. Ravyn and Daffney had become fast friends. With so much in common they were happy to have each other to have girl time with. Not that they were the girliest of girls, but they enjoyed what time they had away from the boys. They also hung out with Mona when she was around. Even though she looked more like the classic wrestling valet, Mona was a lot like them. The three girls caused trouble whenever they could, mostly playing pranks on the guys. It was times when it was just the girls that Ravyn missed JJ the most. She had heard from her once or twice since she had left, but both of them were so busy that they just didn't have the time to keep in constant contact. Ravyn knew that they were both happy though.

*****

The months in WCW seemed to fly by. Shannon and Shane were no longer partners on screen, but they still traveled together. Shane had recently won the Cruiserweight title. The storylines were all a jumbled mess. It seemed like most of the locker room was unhappy with the company. No one liked the booking and everyone seemed to get very cliquey in the back. One Monday night the locker room was buzzing. There was a rumor that the WWF was in the building. Ravyn and Shannon took a walk through the back stage area to confirm the rumor. They passed a door that read "WWF" on the booking sheet. Ravyn fidgeted nervously.

"I don't like this," she worried.  
Shannon swallowed, "Neither do I."  
"What do you think is going on?" she asked.  
"I'm not sure," he admitted. "I know Bishoff was planning on buying the company and that fell through. I hope Vince didn't buy us out."

Ravyn nodded, hoping the same thing. But when Nitro went live their suspicion was confirmed. At the top of the second hour Shane McMahon appeared in the WCW ring, announcing that he had purchased the company. Everyone in the back was stunned. There had been no warning that this was coming. They didn't know what was going on. Was everyone still going to have jobs? No one knew for sure. And they weren't given any answers. They were just told to go home and that someone would be in touch with them in a few days. Ravyn was positive that she wouldn't be employed anymore, so she made a point to say goodbye to all of the friends she had met before heading home. She and Shannon headed back to New York after a long goodbye with Shane, who was going home to North Carolina.  
When they got home Ravyn opened the arena back up and started teaching again. A few days later Shannon received a call saying that his contract would not be renewed. Ravyn took over his roll and assured him that everything would be okay when they got word that Shane would be picked up by the WWF. She knew exactly how he felt and made sure to be there for him if he wanted to talk about it. He took it much better than she had, and was back to his normal self the next day. That same day she received a text from AJ that Vince had offered him a developmental deal, but AJ had turned him down. Ravyn told him how proud she was that he had stood up for himself and had done what was right for his family.

A few weeks later Ravyn gets a text message from JJ telling her to watch Smackdown that night. She and Shannon finished up at the arena and headed home. They cooked a quick dinner and sat down together on the couch to eat and watch the show. When they finished eating Shannon took the dishes to the kitchen. Ravyn stretched herself out on the couch while Shannon was up. He came back and put his hands on his hips pretending to be offended. She spread herself out trying to cover as much of the cushions as she could. He rolled his eyes.  
"If you want that to work you better get way fatter," he joked. She tried to look offended, but started laughing instead. He picked her up and lounged himself across the couch. She plopped herself down half on top of him, and he pulled her into his arms as they watched the show plug along. They watched in half interest only looking away from each other when they heard Shane's voice. They watched him come down to the ring in his "Hurri-gear" and couldn't help but be amused.  
"I miss Shane," Ravyn said sadly. "Those months with you guys in WCW was the most fun I've had in a long time."  
"I miss him too," Shannon agreed. "At least when he was around I could win some arguements."  
She snickered at him as they kept watching the show. The first hour had gone by already. And as they returned from a commercial break the Hardy Boyz were sitting on a couch babbling about something concerning the tag titles. Shannon watched his friends as Ravyn twirled a chunk of his hair in her fingers. Her jaw dropped and Shannon's hair fell from her grasp when Lita called JJ on screen. She was introduced as a school friend of Lita's and the boys were going to allow her to come down to the ring for their match.

"There's no way she's working with Matt and Jeff," Shannon said in shock.  
Ravyn's eyes were glued to the tv. "She has to be freaking out being that close to Jeff," she thought. "What do you think happened the first time she met him?"  
"Before or after someone scraped her off of the ground when she melted into a puddle of happiness?" He giggled. Ravyn laughed with him as they watched Billy and Chuck walk down the ramp. A few moments later they saw JJ come down to the ring with Team Extreme. They watched intently as the referee called for the bell when a whole lot of cheating was going on. Billy threatened to take Jeff out with the belt. Before anyone can realize what was happening JJ comes running in and flings herself in front of Jeff, taking the belt shot herself.

"Holy shit," Ravyn exclaimed sitting straight up. "Billy really stiffed her there."  
"Yeah he did," Shannon sat up, watching the monitor intently. "Jesus, I hope she's alright."  
"Of course the weekend we're in New York is the week they're in Raleigh," Ravyn huffed. "If we were there we could at least make sure she's okay.."  
"Hun," Shannon interrupted her. "I'm sure she's fine. Those two won't let her get into too much trouble."  
Ravyn made a grumpy face at him as she grabbed a pillow and thwomped him with it. He wrestled it out of her hands and hit her back. They rolled around on the couch and floor before finally heading to their bedroom.

*****

They watched for JJ on tv every week. Sometimes they kept the arena open so they could watch with all of their students. They all loved watching J on tv. It put so much inspiration into all of their workers. They had faith that if she had made it to the big time that they had a chance, too. Within days of her debut match Ravyn noticed a difference in how hard everyone was working to improve. She was so proud of them that she set up a show to run on the following weekend. They watched the Backlash pay per view at the arena while working out plans for the next weekend's show.

"They're in Kansas City tonight," Shannon observed.  
Ravyn raised an eyebrow in interest, "Do you think she talked to her parents?"  
Shannon shrugged, "Who knows. I hope they forgive her though."  
"I doubt that," she stated. "They're really pissed that she didn't go to school. I feel bad that they hate her because of me."  
"I wouldn't blame yourself," he assured her. "She made the decision to come here all by herself. It's not like you forced her to come learn to wrestle."  
Ravyn nodded at this theory and settled in to watch Backlash with everyone.

*****

The next night she and Shannon decided to watch Raw at home. They cuddled up on the couch and turned on the tv. Most of the matches were rematches from Backlash. Ravyn looks on in interest as Vince tells JJ that Team Xtreme won't be allowed at ringside during her match. She faced off against Jazz that night. And when JJ won the match Lita and the boys came down to the ring to celebrate. The show went to commercial and Ravyn went to turn the tv off when Shannon stopped her. He explained that he thought there would be more Team Xtreme that night. He pulled her back onto his lap, and as the show returned he was right. Jazz burst through the locker room door and attacked JJ. Brock was right behind her. The two of them ganged up on JJ until Jeff came to her rescue. He tended to JJ as Brock and Jazz ran off. Both Ravyn and Shannon's jaws dropped as he kissed her.

"Holy shit," Shannon whispered.  
"Do you think that's for real?" Ravyn asked in astonishment.  
"He definitely just kissed her," he confirmed. "But it looks like that was legit."  
"Looked like that wasn't their first kiss," she agreed.  
Shannon hugged her tight, "Our little JJ is all grown up!"


	9. This Is Extreme

Storm Stories  
This ... Is Extreme

Ravyn nearly skips to the door of the warehouse as she and Shannon arrive to open for the day.

"What's got you so excited, babe?" Shannon snickers.  
She shrugs, "No reason. I just feel like today is going to be a good day."  
"If you say so," he says wrapping his arms around her to unlock the door. "We do have the advanced class today. That could be fun."  
"Every day I get to work with you is fun," she teased.

He tightens an arm around her waist and pulls her against him. She giggles and tries to squirm away as he tickles her with his free hand. They finally make it inside and start setting up for the day. A few hours later when their class starts to trickle in Ravyn gives them the job of setting up the ring. She and Shannon finish up their paperwork before heading down to the floor. The advanced class is made up of four students, most of whom had already started working on shows. They really just come to fine tune their skills and work on ring psychology. Shannon starts the class by running the group through some warm ups. He and Ravyn both put them through a quick routine of bump drills and a bit of chain wrestling. When everyone was completely warmed up they split off into two groups. A student and a trainer on the inside and everyone else on the apron. Shannon took the ring with one of the students and after working through spots for nearly ten minutes they both tagged out. Ravyn and Shannon kept switching spots until they had each worked with every student.  
They took a twenty minute break before heading back into the ring for a six man lucha style tag match. Ravyn and Shannon let the students work first but are quickly tagged into the mix. Everyone tagged in and out multiple times. Ravyn kept coaching from the apron explaining why they were doing certain moves at specific times and how the crowd would react. They kept the match going for a bit longer. As the students started dropping out one by one Ravyn and Shannon were left in the ring to work with each other. Before locking up they stepped around the ring, keeping themselves exactly halfway from each other. As Shannon charged at her Ravyn ducked between the ropes, a complete heel move. The students watched as their teachers put on a thrilling display of technical and aerial wrestling.  
No one even noticed as the door of the building opened up and four people came inside. Everyone's eyes were glued to the ring and Ravyn and Shannon zipped around. They bounced back and forth off of the ropes, really getting their students riled up. Ravyn hit Shannon with a dragon screw leg whip, but Shannon just lay in the middle of the ring in a fit of giggles. A moment later Ravyn collapses next to him, exhausted. The students clap at their show. Then a voice rings out above everything else.

"Oh come on. Is that all you two got?" they hear. "I'm disappointed in you, Moore and Storm!"  
Shannon's head pops up off of the mat to look towards the doorway. Ravyn doesn't even need to look up, she'd recognize that voice anywhere. At the same moment they both yell "JJ!" and roll out of the ring. Shannon makes it to her first, picking her up and twirling her around. A moment later he nearly drops her, but Ravyn is there to catch her.  
"Mattie! Jeffie!" Shannon exclaims as he rushes over to his friends.  
"Heya friend," JJ smiles.  
"Hi friend," Ravyn returns their greeting. "It's been so long. I'm proud of you. You made it."  
JJ nods, "So much has happened in the past few weeks. It's unreal."  
"It'll sink in," Ravyn puts an arm around her friends' shoulders. "Just give it time."  
The boys burst into a fit of laughter and Amy walks over to JJ and Ravyn with a slightly terrified look on her face, "OK, they scare me. I've never seen Matt and Jeff like this..."  
Jenn introduces Amy to Ravyn, but the girls are quickly interrupted. The three boys come over grinning like fools. "So Jenn, Shannon here just told us something interesting about you," Matt's smile spreads ear to ear.  
Jenn skeptically shoots Shannon a look, "Oh he did, did he?"  
Shannon smirks and winks at the girls. "Yeah, he says you can cook," Jeff states.  
Jenn's face softens, "Oh that? Sure. I mean I enjoy cooking... I used to cook for everyone." Her confession is met with three sets of pouting puppy dog eyes. "Oh my god. Seriously? Are you guys really looking at me like that? Do you want me to cook for you?" The boys nod their heads in unison. "Alright fine," Jenn sighs. "Friend can we crash with you for a couple of days?"  
Ravyn laughs, "Of course friend! Come on, we'll go to the store and let the boys go be boys for a while. As long as they promise to behave."  
Shannon walks up to her and wraps his arms around her, "Yes mother, we'll be good." He gently kisses her and the rest of the guys say goodbye to their girlfriends.  
"J, let me get cleaned up and we'll head to the store," Ravyn says as she heads towards the locker room, leaving the boys to finish up with their class.  
The girls make a trip to the store and quickly return to Ravyn's. Matt's rental car is in the driveway, but the boys are nowhere to be found. Ravyn and Jenn work on putting away the groceries then the three girls crash in the livingroom to wait for the boys to show up. It doesn't take long before they hear a wild commotion as the front door swings open and Shannon comes bounding into the house with Jeff hot on his heels.

"Get back here, Moore!" Jeff yells as Shannon leaps over the back of the couch, wedging himself in-between Ravyn and Jenn.  
"Try it Nero," Shannon taunts. "I know you won't do it with your girlfriend right here!"  
Jeff scowls, "You're being a chicken. Come on!" As if to proclaim victory Shannon puts an arm around both Ravyn and Jenn. Ravyn kisses his cheek and shakes her head at their antics.  
"Water guns? Seriously?" Jenn rolls her eyes. "It's freakin' November and you guys are playing with water guns?"  
Jeff shoots her a look like she had lost her mind, "Well yeah. Why not?"  
"Alright, if you say so. Just take it outside will ya?" Jenn shakes her head.  
"You, are no fun," Jeff sticks his tongue out at her.  
A smirk crosses over Jenn's face, "Oh really?"

She grabs one of the guns from Shannon's hand and hurdles the back of the couch. She stops for a second to squirt Shannon then Jeff before bolting out the front door. Shannon takes a second to kiss Ravyn before scampering out the door behind Jeff. Ravyn and Amy exchange a look of amusement, then a soaking wet and grumpy looking Matt trudges into the room sending them into hysterical laughter. He drops down onto the arm of the chair Amy is sitting in and shoots the girls a dirty look. A few minutes later his mood is lightened when Jenn, Jeff and Shannon come back inside looking like hell. Amy, Matt and Ravyn burst into laughter at the sight of the other three. Jenn shrugs and heads upstairs to change so she can start cooking. Shannon, who is almost dripping wet, flops himself down into Ravyn's lap. She rolls her eyes and brushes a wet strand of blonde hair out of his face. He smiles and rubs his wet head all over her lap, receiving him a couple of playful swats as she giggles. Jenn comes back down the stairs and disappears into the kitchen. As she starts dinner the group in the livingroom slip into a conversation about how Jenn joined Team Xtreme. She pipes in once in a while to share her perspective, but keeps cooking. Everyone is laughing about something when they hear a crash in the kitchen.

"Shit!" Jenn exclaims. "Son of a bitch!"  
Everyone rushes into the kitchen to see what happened. Ravyn is at Jenn's side immediately, "J! What did you do?"  
"I burned my fucking fingers on the water from the ramen," Jenn explains as she runs her hand under the cool tap water. Shannon reaches into the freezer and hands Jeff an ice pack, which he brings over and gently places on Jenn's hand. "Thanks," she sighs. "Sorry for the commotion."

Everyone else pitches in to help finish dinner. When everyone is served they all end up back in the livingroom in front of the TV. They start out by watching JJ's first match. She's clearly embarrassed by it, and Ravyn promptly tells her how ridiculous she's being. Jenn's attention shifts when Ravyn says that she has a tape that she'd like her to watch. Ravyn pops in the tape and Jenn gasps when she realizes that she's watching the steel cage match between her and Joe.

"Oh my god," Jenn's jaw drops. "You told me there was no tape of this match."  
Ravyn nods, "I know. But you were in such a bad way after this match that I didn't want you to see it until I knew that you could handle it. One thing lead to another and I just never got around to showing you."  
Amy and Jeff question the significance of the match and Jenn explains. She and Ravyn go on to explain Joe's obsession and what lead up to that night. "That's sick! You actually agreed to it?" Jeff looks at Jenn but then sits up on the couch to get a better look at Ravyn. "And you! You allowed it to take place?"  
"Jeff relax!" Jenn shoves him back down next to her. "She tried to talk me out of it. But I was in an extreme mode."

Jenn continues to assure Jeff that the reason she actually got hurt in the match was a complete accident. Ravyn hits play again and everyone watches in stunned silence. Joe charges JJ and flattens her into the wall of the cage. J manages to kick him below the belt and go for a chair, which she hits him with repeatedly. Ravyn snuggles up against Shannon trying not to think about all of the drama Joe had brought into her life. Shannon tightens his arm around her and cringes at a part of the match that he knows is coming up.

"You've seen this, Moore?" Jenn asks in astonishment.  
He nods, "Yeah, the week after Joe came here looking for you. We watched it after you had gone to bed. That was the last night you asked if there was a tape."  
Jenn crosses her arms in mock anger, "So you know what happens to me and I don't? Great."  
Well, if you would quit hitting pause and talking you would see it," he jokes.  
She tries to glare at him but just ends up smiling, "Ravyn could you?"  
Ravyn slaps him on the arm and Jenn hits the play button again. The next disruption comes when Joe kneels down to kiss a laid out JJ. Jeff leaps from his spot on the couch and begins to pace angrily back and forth across the floor. Jenn tries to remind him that the match took place over two years earlier and that she was fine now.

"I don't care how long ago it was. This guy is a freak!" Jeff fumes. "This was all personal and it makes me want to kill him for doing this to you. It might not be that bad if I knew that it was scripted. But I know it's not. And it's making me crazy!"

Jenn takes a few more minutes to calm him down before she can start the tape again. The mood in the room grows tense as JJ finally makes it to the top of the steel cage. She looks down at the outside, then back at Joe's unconscious body in the center of the ring. She takes a moment to decide to inflict more pain to Joe rather than escape and win the match. As she goes to position herself to jump off of the cage she loses her footing and slips backwards off of the top of the cage. She lands neck and shoulder first through a table on the outside with a sickening crunch.  
Everyone in the room gasps, even Ravyn and Shannon who have seen the footage before. Slowly the memories come flooding back to Jenn. She recalls how scared she had been when she realized that she couldn't move. She explains to everyone how she almost gave up on wrestling all together, but ended up realizing that she couldn't abandon her dream. Everyone sits together just enjoying each others company before heading off to bed.


	10. Demon from Down Under

Storm Stories  
Demon from Down Under

Team Xtreme decided to hang out in Albany for a few more days before heading to New York City for RAW. As Friday rolled around Ravyn and Shannon disappeared from the house before everyone else woke up. They were on their normal schedule of an EwCw show on Friday nights. They taught their morning class and soon the workers for the night's show started to arrive to do set up. Jenn lead Team Xtreme in, explaining to them that this had been her Friday routine for years. Shannon smiled at her excitement.

"J," Shannon got her attention as a grin spread across his face. "Should I assume that you'll be selling gimmicks tonight?"  
Jenn laughed, "Yeah, always the merch booth wench."  
"Well, I'd let you wrestle. But we know that kind of thing isn't allowed," Ravyn piped in sarcastically from the entrance way.  
"Can I wrestle if I know a loophole?" Jeff hoped.

He and Ravyn disappeared into the office to discuss a few ideas. When they emerged, Ravyn had a re-written card. Everyone pitched in to help set up for the night's show. As expected the fans started to line up early. The backstage area was happy to have Matt and Jeff there to run ideas by. And Team Xtreme was glad to help. As the warehouse filled up the noise in the building grew. The show started off with excitement when Ravyn let JJ open the night with Team Xtreme. She thanked the crowd for coming and told them that this was where she had gotten her start in the business and how happy she was to be home visiting. They left the ring to thunderous applause. The crowd was really pumped up after such an exciting introduction and it gave the first few matches the extra encouragement that they needed. Nearing the end of the card Ravyn worked a match with one of her long time students. She played the heel and ended up doing the job. Another match went on before the main event. When the bell rang to signal the end of that match Ravyn kissed Shannon on the cheek before he headed down to the ring to cut a promo. The crowd still hated him for turning Ravyn against JJ and they booed furiously as he cut a promo claiming that no one in the back was good enough to beat him, because he was a big star now.  
His expression turned to one of utter shock as Willow The Wisp emerged from behind the curtain. One of his arch rivals from the OMEGA days had just appeared in New York. The few fans that knew anything about Willow were thrilled. Shannon played the coward angle while Willow stalked around at ringside. Finally Willow climbed into the ring and the boys ended up having an amazing aerial match. Shannon ended up cheating to get the victory over Willow, sending the fans into a frenzy. Shannon barely managed to escape the crowd as he left Jeff in the ring to revel in the applause of the crowd. He came back through the curtain soon after, giving Shannon a huge hug.

"That was great guys," Ravyn beamed. "Thank you, Jeff."  
Jeff pulls off his Willow mask and grins, "No problem. That was fun."  
"Wait a second," Shannon looks perplexed. "Do you carry your Willow gear around with you all the time?"  
"Of course," Jeff looks at him like he's crazy. "You never know when you'll need a back up."  
Shannon just shakes his head at Jeff's theory and pulls Ravyn into his arms, "So, what's the plan?"  
Before Ravyn can answer him Jeff pipes in, "We can head down to the city and spend a few days goofing off until RAW."  
Ravyn nods, "That works. I could use a few days in Manhattan."  
"Stay for RAW," Matt insists. "We'll get you guys some passes."  
"Sure," Shannon smiles. "And we can go shopping!"

*****

Early the next day the group arrives in downtown Manhattan. They check in to their hotel and head out for some fun. They start by eating at a restaurant that only makes peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Everyone orders something different, since the menu boasts more than one hundred different versions of the traditional sandwich. As they walk through the city they stop at random places to shop or eat, including Ravyn's favorite set of stores, Trash & Vaudeville. The group hangs out in the city for a while longer before retreating to their hotel rooms to watch movies. They end up repeating the whole process on Sunday. Monday morning everyone hit the hotel gym together to start their day. They dug their cars outs ohe underground garage of the hotel and headed over to Madison Square Garden. As they walked through the front door Shane Helms passed by.

"Sugar!" Ravyn squealed nearly tackling him to the ground.  
When he realized who it was he picked her up and spun her around excitedly, "What are you doing here?"  
"Visiting JJ," Shannon smiled as he walked up behind them.  
"J, we'll be back in a few minutes," Ravyn said as she and Shannon walked off with Shane. "So, how have things been going for my favorite super hero?"  
Shane shrugs, "It's alright here. I mean it's run better than WCW, but I miss having my friends around."  
"But matt and Jeff are here," Shannon points out. "And JJ"  
"They pretty much do their own thing," Shane huffs. "And J got in with them so easily. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't just a bit jealous."  
"I know the feeling bro," Ravyn reminds him.

The three of them spend some more time together catching up before Ravyn and Shannon head back to Team Xtreme's locker room. The boys are sitting with Edge, Christian and Rhino discussing their match. Rhino looks up and shoots Ravyn a smile as she walks in. They hadn't seen each other since Ravyn's brief stint in ECW, and he looked happy to see her. Shannon quickly jumped into the conversation helping the boys set up their spots. Ravyn and the girls half pay attention as the guys make plans.

"So, how was the Hurricane?" Amy asks.  
Ravyn smiles, "Working hard. I think he's a little burnt out from the schedule change. We had things a bit easier in WCW."  
"He has been really busy," Amy confirms.  
"And they made him go to that training camp before he came to TV," Jenn points out. "Not that he needed it."  
Ravyn nods, "I'm sure he'll settle in soon enough. I'm glad I got to see him though. It's been too long."

The girls were quickly dragged into the conversation about the match. They were supposed to interfere on behalf on the boys while Rhino would come in for Edge and Christian. As the discussion wound down Ravyn and Shannon headed out to their seats to watch the show.

"Shane looks exhausted," Shannon says what Ravyn had been thinking.  
"He's getting a good push though," she replies.  
"He is," Shannon agrees. "So, what do you think about the tag match tonight?"  
"I hope she's ready," Ravyn sighs. "Going up the ladder could trigger a flashback."  
Shannon squeezes her hand, "Nothing could be as bad as that match you guys had with me an Shane. That was brutal."  
"Well, we know she's past that," Ravyn laughs.

By the time they make it down to their front row seats the show is already underway. Shane is up next, and he has a great match with someone Ravyn and Shannon don't recognize. A few more matches pass before Edge and Christian are making their way down the ramp. Only a few minutes go by before the boys music hits and the crowd explodes. The match is crazy, with a lot of high risk spots. Rhino comes down the ramp not long before Jenn and Amy run down. The seven of them end up all over the place. Between tables, ladders and chairs. Towards the end of the match both Jenn and Jeff climb up ladders and simultaneously swanton Edge and Christian through tables. Ravyn leans over the barricade to check on JJ and is met with a wink. A sigh of relief courses through her as she hugs Shannon happily. The boys get the win to regain the tag team titles and head to the back after some celebrating. Ravyn and Shannon stay in their seats to watch the main event before heading back to the locker room. Shannon rushes over the Matt and Jeff and excitedly starts recalling his favorite parts of the match. Ravyn walks up to Jenn smiling.

"You did it, friend," she grins. "You're your old self again. How does it feel?"  
JJ is giddy with excitement, "It was great. I hadn't realized how much I missed the rush until now. I'm already ready for another crazy match!"  
Shannon comes up behind Ravyn and Jenn, wrapping his arms around both of them happily, "We are going to partay tonight!"  
They're joined by Matt and Jeff. "Yeah, come on," Matt agrees. "We're all here. It's been a great, exciting night. We should all go out and celebrate!"


	11. It all Comes Crashing Down

**This chapter has a cross over appearance from some of New York's finest police officers of the show Third Watch.**

Storm Stories

It All Comes Crashing Down

After everyone agrees that a celebration is in order they head down to the parking garage. Team Xtreme follow Ravyn and Shannon in their car. Traffic is unusually quiet for Manhattan as they nose out of the garage. Shannon guides the car out onto the street as he and Ravyn start planning their class schedule for the week. Ravyn checks her side mirror to make sure that Matt was able to pull out of the lot. She's met with a scene of absolute horror as she watches Matt pull onto the road and another car accelerates to ram the passenger side of his car at full speed. The sickening crunch of metal is deafening, even in Manhattan.

"Holy shit!" Ravyn cries grabbing Shannon's leg. "Babe, stop the car. Somebody just hit Matt!" Shannon pulls up on the curb as Ravyn jumps out of her door to take off towards the scene. He dials 911 while she checks on everyone else. As she reaches the car Matt is already stepping out of his door.  
"What the fuck just happened?" Matt asks holding his head.  
Ravyn points angrily at the car that is currently attached to Matt's, "This douchebag sped up and rammed right into you!"  
"Well, check on the douchebag," Matt huffs. "I'll get these guys out." He carefully leans back into the car to check on the others as Shannon rushes up to the car.  
"Police are on the way," he informs them.  
"Babe," Ravyn calls from the door of the other car. "Please come here and tell me I'm not going crazy."  
"What are you talking about?" he asks as he walks around Matt's car to her. "What the fuck?"  
"Okay, I'm not just seeing things then," Ravyn sounded relieved.  
"What the hell is going on over there?" Matt yells as he helps Amy across the drivers seat.  
Shannon and Ravyn make their way back over to the drivers side of the rental. "There's no one in the car," Ravyn explains.  
Jeff slowly opens his door with a slightly panicked look on his face, "Jenn's knocked out."

Before the rest of them can start to freak out the police and EMT's arrive on the scene. Two police officers escort them a safe distance away from the cars. The officers introduce themselves as Yokas and Boscorelli. Yokas, the female in the pair pulls Ravyn aside while Bosco and Shannon try to keep Jeff from getting in the EMT's way.

"Can you tell me what happened here?" Yokas asks.

Ravyn tells her everything she can think of. How Matt had been following them, then out of nowhere the other car rammed him. She also explained that there was no one in the other car when they reached it. When she's done giving the officer all of the details Ravyn returns to the group.

"Just relax," Matt encourages his brother. "She'll be okay. Probably just hit her head."  
Jeff is nearly shaking with anticipation, "I just want to make sure for myself."  
"She's tough bro," Shannon promises as he pulls Ravyn to him. "She's been through way worse than this."

The group is humored slightly as Officer Boscorelli yells at some paparazzi trying to get pictures of the accident. He promptly threatens to arrest them if they don't get off of the block immediately, and shockingly they comply. One of the EMTs comes over to check on everyone else who had been in the crash. Luckily they have nothing more than some cuts and bruises. Everyone waits in a tense silence on word of Jenn's condition. Much to their relief the other EMT makes his way over to them.

"She's awake. We had to put her in a c-collar because she was unconscious when we arrived," he tells them. "She's doing well. We're just waiting on FDNY to show up with the Jaws of Life. She's asking to see you guys. So until Fire gets here maybe she would prefer your company to mine."

Without blinking an eye Jeff is off like a rocket to the car. Everyone follows close behind him. He slides into the back seat next to Jenn where he had been during the accident. The rest of the group wait outside for a moment to let Jenn and Jeff have a second to themselves. But a cry of frustration from Jenn sends a wave of panic through the group.

"What friend, what's wrong?" Ravyn worries.  
"No, no I'm fine. Well mostly," Jenn assures them. "It's just I can't turn my head in this damn neck brace. I can't see any of you..."  
Jeff shifts his position so that she can see him as Ravyn slides into the front seat where Amy had been. Shannon leans in behind her, resting his chin on her shoulder to shoot Jenn a smile. Jeff reaches across to hold Jenn's other hand which evokes a scream of pain as she attempts to move her arm. "God I'm sorry!" Jeff panics. "What did I do?"  
"Jeff it's ok. I guess the neck brace isn't the only thing wrong with me. Something is wrong with my arm. Well, it hurts," Jenn confesses as Jeff brushes a tear from her face. "So, um, what exactly happened guys?"  
"I went to pull out after Shannon. After checking for traffic. When all of a sudden there was this light," Matt stammers. "I tried to swerve out of the way but the guy swerved with us. It was almost like he was trying to hit us. Most of the impact was at your door, which is probably why it won't open..."  
"Ames, please calm down your boyfriend," Jenn cuts off Matt's muttering. "What about the other driver? If he was trying to ram us, did they arrest him?"  
Jeff gets serious for a moment, "No one knows. There was no one in the car. Ravyn and Shannon were there withing moments of the crash and they didn't see anyone in the car."  
The EMT returns to the car as the FDNY fire truck rolls onto the block. He insists everyone leaves the car while they use the Jaws to get Jenn out. Ravyn shoots her a wink as Shannon helps her out of the car. On their way back to the curb where they had waited before Officer Yokas pulls Ravyn and Shannon aside.

"We're having the other car dusted for prints. Is there anyone that you can think of that would do this?" Yokas inquires.  
Ravyn shakes her head, "No, not that I can think of."  
"But we've all worked on TV," Shannon pipes in. "So any fan might think our characters are real."  
"If they hate you on TV, they hate you in real life," Yokas nods understandingly. "We'll run the prints and get back to you guys with what we find. You two travel the least so we'll be calling you first."

Ravyn and Shannon thank her for all of her help as the Jaws rumble to life. The horrendous noise as the car is literally cut into pieces is deafening. Shannon pulls Ravyn tight to him as they watch the EMTs remove Jenn from the car and gently place her on a stretcher. Everyone rushes to her side as they wheel her towards the ambulance. Ravyn and Shannon are looking just as shaken up as the people that were actually in the accident. Shannon squeezes Ravyn's hand, supporting her as best he can. Jenn is loaded into the ambulance and Jeff climbs in with her.

"We'll follow and meet you guys there," Ravyn says to him as she directs everyone else back to their car.

Ravyn takes over the driving as they speed behind the ambulance to St. Vincent's. when they arrive at the hospital Jenn is quickly rushed away while everyone else is sent to the waiting room. Jeff paces the floor incessantly while Matt and Amy go off to get everyone drinks, knowing it's about to be a very long night. Shannon holds Ravyn tight to him on the couch before she can join Jeff wearing ruts into the floor. The waiting continues for hours until one of the doctors emerges from the back.

"I'm looking for Ravyn Storm," he says looking down at his charts.  
"Why me?" Ravyn asks in confusion.  
"You're the one Miss James has listed as her emergency contact," he barely pauses. "She's broken her arm right below the shoulder socket. It will have to be repaired surgically. Unfortunately, since it's not an emergency she'll have to wait a few days to get on the surgical schedule. We'll have to keep her here until the surgery, and a few days after for recovery."  
"How long before she'll be out?" Jeff asks hopefully.  
"Probably a week at the earliest," the doctor states.  
Ravyn nods, "Can we see her?"

The doctor nods and gives them directions to Jenn's room. Ravyn and Jeff are the first ones to the elevator. The group walks briskly down the hall so they don't disturb the other patients and nearly skid into Jenn's doorway. Jeff drags a chair next to Jenn's bed so he can sit next to her. Matt and Amy claim a windowsill while Ravyn deposits herself into Shannon's lap in the other chair.

"This sucks..." Jenn complains.  
"I'm just glad we're all still alive and not seriously injured," Jeff says, visibly shaken by the night's events. "I mean, I can't get the picture of the car out of my mind. And to think the worst injury anyone got was a broken arm just amazes me.."  
"I still think it sucks," Jenn pouts. "I finally get my big break, and now I'm going to be out for who knows how long."  
"Cheer up friend. You'll be back before you know it," Ravyn encourages. "You bounced back from the neck injury. You can do it with this too."  
"Yeah come on Super J! You just need to look at the bright side. You'll be staying with me and Ravyn again!" Shannon grins madly as Jenn tries to fight the urge to smile, which she loses. "Yeah! I win, I cheered her up!"

Everyone laughs until a nurse comes in to kick them out, since visiting hours ended so long ago. Jeff manages to convince the nurse to let him stay while everyone else heads back to the hotel.

*****

Jenn was finally fit into the surgical schedule a few days later. The group waited patiently in her room, where the hospital asked them to wait so that fans wouldn't mob them. A few hours later the mood in the room had grown tense. Matt had received a phone call from Vince telling him that Team Xtreme was expected back at RAW the following week. This had sent Jeff over the edge. He and Matt had been arguing ever since. Amy just kept trying to calm them down while Ravyn and Shannon stayed out of it all together. Jenn slowly opens her eyes and looks around the room. Her eyes settled on Ravyn, who gets up and goes to her confused friend's side.

"How are you feeling, friend?" Ravyn asks quietly.  
Jenn hoarsely replies, "Like I've been drugged and had my arm cut open." Ravyn laughs at Jenn's bluntness causing Jeff, who is visibly upset, to try and smile in her general direction. "What, what's wrong?" Jenn asks. No one speaks for a long time. "Come on. Someone tell me what the fuck is going on. These two look like they want to kill each other. Amy looks pissed about having to be stuck in the middle. And Ravyn and Shannon won't look at anyone!"

This sends Matt and Jeff off on another tirade over whether or not Jeff will go back to TV. He's persistent that he's going to stay with Jenn until she's ready to return. Matt tries to explain to him Vince's reasoning for wanting them back, but even the fact that they had just won the tag belts wouldn't sway him.

"Do I get any say in this?" Jenn pipes in.  
"Of course you do," Jeff says.  
Jenn sighs, "I think you should go."  
"What?" Jeff is surprised by her answer. "You do?"

It takes a lot but Jenn finally convinces him that returning to work is the right thing to do. He finally agrees after she assures him that she'll be fine with Ravyn and Shannon, and that they can see each other on breaks.

The next few days pass too quickly and soon it's time for Team Xtreme to head back out on the road. Ravyn and Shannon let Jenn have a moment alone to say goodbye to Jeff. When Jeff emerges from the room they walk them all out to their cab. After saying goodbye Shannon returns to Jenn's room while Ravyn goes on a search for the doctor. She returns after a very convincing conversation with the doctor. Ravyn open's the door to find her best friend sobbing on Shannon's shoulder. She walks up and puts her hand on Jenn's leg.

"It'll be okay, friend," she promises. "Besides, I come bearing good news."  
"I could use some good news," Jenn sniffs. "What's up?"  
Ravyn grins, "I convinced the doctors to let you out tonight instead of in the morning."  
"Really?" Jenn asks in disbelief.  
"You. They're getting your discharge papers right now," Ravyn says. "We'll get you out of here and back up to Albany to relax and have a good time."  
"Thanks friend. I can't wait to get out of here," Jenn sounds relieved. "And the distraction will be nice."

Shannon heads down to pull the car around while Ravyn helps Jenn get into some real clothes. Soon they're on their way back upstate.


	12. Much Needed Therapy

Storm Stories  
Much Needed Therapy

For the next two weeks JJ helps out at the arena during training sessions, when she isn't re-watching the entire EwCw tape library. Ravyn and Shannon alternate taking her to her physical therapy sessions. Today Ravyn drops her off and then tells her that she's going to run some errands. Instead she drives to the Albany airport to pick up Jeff, whom Jenn has no clue is coming to visit.

"Thanks for the ride," Jeff smiles getting into the car.  
"It can't be a surprise if she knows you're coming," Ravyn laughs. "Besides she needs to see you. Shannon and I can only cheer her up so much."  
"I just couldn't wait another day," Jeff confesses.  
Ravyn smiles, "I know how it feels."  
"You and Shannon have been together for a while now, haven't you?" Jeff asks.  
"A little over two years," she nods. "And we had to spend a lot of time apart. For a while we were barely seeing each other once a month."  
"I don't think I could do that," he admits. "I can't even imagine how that must have been."  
Ravyn laughs, "Yeah it was rough. But we made it work."  
"Does she have any idea that I'm coming?" he asks.  
"Not a clue," she assures him as they pull into the warehouse parking lot.

Shannon and Jeff spend a few minutes making plans for their adventure down to the dirty south before Jeff takes Ravyn's car to go pick Jenn up from therapy. Ravyn and Shannon teach a class, then decide to go out to dinner to give Jenn and Jeff some alone time. After they ate they decided to go down to the capitol to see the park all lit up for Christmas.

"Are you okay with spending Christmas in North Carolina?" Shannon asks as they walk around the park.  
She nods, "Sure, it'll be different. I'll miss the snow though."  
"Oh, you will?" Shannon smirks as he bends down to scoop up a handful of snow that he starts to pack into a snowball.  
"Don't even think.." but she was too late. The snowball connected with her shoulder and exploded.

The two of them chased each other around the park for the next few hours. They wrestled around in the snow trying to get it down each others jackets. Finally Shannon managed to pin her to the ground. But before he could cover her with snow she reached up and pulled him into a kiss. Distracted, he dropped the snowball that he had intended on using and returned her kiss. They stayed there together for a few minutes just enjoying being together. Eventually they returned to the house to watch some tapes with Jenn and Jeff.

The next morning everyone scrambled to finish packing and catch their flight. The quick trip to Raleigh was busy in the holiday season. Matt and Amy picked everyone up from the airport and took them back to the Hardy property. Ravyn and Shannon were staying at Matt's, since Jeff's house was considerably smaller. Everyone spent a lot of time helping to decorate Matt and Jeff's property for Christmas. Ravyn and Shannon did some last minute shopping before heading over to Jeff's so the boys could mess around on the dirt bike track. Shannon and Jeff tear around the course jumping over the trees they had just decorated while Ravyn and Jenn watch.  
Before anyone even realized, it was Christmas Eve, and Matt was having his annual Christmas Bash. Soon the house was filled with people. The drinking started early and only nonsense followed. Matt fired up the karaoke machine and shortly after the sound of drunken singing drowned out most everything else. Matt made sure that no one could stay sober, since he kept going from room to room "clubbing" people.  
Jenn and Ravyn managed to belt out a stunning rendition of "Something Gone Wrong," a song that Brian had written a few years earlier. Jeff slipped into his alternate persona, Itchweeed, and spent the rest of the night dancing and babbling about 1342. Shannon ended up wrestling Yuk in a shoot fight on the front lawn, which Yuk lost miserably. Shane showed up just before midnight and spent most of the night goofing off with Ravyn and Shannon. They wrestled around outside like it was the Royal Rumble. Soon everyone else started to join in. Matt enjoyed the brawl on his front lawn and named himself the official referee. Itchweeed won the battle, but the Invisibles jumped him in mid celebration. Shannon tried to help him, but they were no match for the Invisibles.  
The people that were sober enough started to leave around four a.m. Matt and Amy had gone to bed, Jenn and Jeff had gone back home and Shane hung around to mess with Yuk. Ravyn and Shannon decided to go for a walk around the vast property. They held hands as Shannon showed her where he had grown up with Matt and Jeff. He took her out to the Ring in the Woods and told her all about TWF. They laid on the ring apron just talking until the sun started to peak through the tree line. Shannon started to get up, but Ravyn kept her head on his chest insisting that they stay a little longer. Together they watched the sun rise before starting their walk back to Matt's house.  
As they started walking up the front steps they found Yuk handcuffed to the railing asleep in his boxers. They almost felt bad and unlocked him until they found the key sitting on the step next to him, well within his reach. His teeth however, were on the very top step just out of his grasp. They snickered quietly as they stepped around him and went up to the guest room.

"I love you so much," Shannon says as they're climbing into bed.  
Ravyn leans over to kiss him, "I love you too."  
She rests her head on his chest and he wraps his arms around her. "Merry Christmas," he kisses her on the forehead as they snuggle in to fall asleep.  
"Can we visit your mom later?" Ravyn yawned.  
"Yeah," Shannon smiled. "She'd like that."

They fall asleep quickly and don't get out of bed again until early the next afternoon. They leave the house in Amy's car and go to Shannon's mom's to spend Christmas with her. The group spends a few more days in North Carolina before heading to New York City for New Years. Manhattan is bustling with holiday crowds as they walk through Central Park waiting for the New Years celebration in Times Square. Shannon takes Ravyn's hand as they walk through the park.

"You know what I missed most of all when we were in North Carolina?" he asks with a smirk. He doesn't even let her answer before yelling "Snow!" and smashing a snowball on her.

The two of them took off after one another and ended up starting a huge snowball fight with anyone and everyone that would join. The fun lasted for over an hour before they decided to go back to their hotel to change into warmer and drier clothes. The crowd in Times Square had started gathering hours before they arrived, but they still managed to find a good spot to see the ball drop. It wasn't long before the countdown had begun and they all found themselves kissing their significant others as fireworks shot into the air. They stayed to enjoy the party a while longer before walking back to the hotel.  
The walk wasn't far, but a lot of the streets closest to Times Square were jam packed, so travel took a little while. When they finally got to the less crowded streets they were able to move a bit faster. As they were walking down a street full of buildings with mirrored glass they came upon a homeless man. He's clearly inebriated, arguing with his own reflection, when he sees them walking towards him. He tried to bum a cigarette off of them, but is saddened when he discovered that none of them smoke. He grumbles and walks away. Moments later they saw him start arguing with himself again, but this time there was no glass so he argued and verbally fought with his shadow. They managed to keep their composure until the guy was out of ear shot, then they completely lost it.

*****

The next few weeks were hard at the arena. Most of the workers were away visiting their families so shows were on home for the month. Classes however, were busier than ever. But there were a lot of kids who had gotten Christmas money and decided that they would train to be wrestlers. Most of them didn't last more than a few sessions. While Ravyn and Shannon drilled them in the ring Jenn grilled them about their motives on the outside. Together they were able to weed out the ones who's hearts were really in it.  
After one of their training sessions Shannon leaves to go pick up Jenn from therapy and Ravyn closes the warehouse to head home and start making dinner. Shannon and Jenn return just after she gets home. She's thrilled to see that Jenn no longer has her huge arm brace on. Jenn heads out to the hot tub while Ravyn and Shannon take care of the cooking. Ravyn wakes her up from a nap and the three of them plant themselves on the couch to eat and watch RAW.  
Matt and Jeff have a tag match against the Dudleys. The match is a typical Dudleys match until Trish comes out to the ring to help out the Hardyz. She helps Jeff to his feet and kisses him before walking up the ramp grinning. As they cut to commercial Jenn's phone rings just as she manages to pick her jaw up off of the floor. Ravyn and Shannon exchange worries looks. The two of them just stare at her skeptically until she hangs up the phone.

"What?" she asks.  
"You're really okay with that?" Ravyn worries.  
"Yeah, why not. Trish is my friend," Jenn confirms. "She's with Adam. And it's part of a story to lead up to my return in a few weeks."  
Ravyn's eyes widen with concern, "You're going back in a few weeks?"  
"Yeah, at least I'll be going back to traveling. Starting back slowly," Jenn nods.  
"That's great friend," Ravyn smiles.  
"And I want you to come with me," Jenn announces. "Do you think you guys could get the time off?"  
"I don't see why not..." Ravyn says as Shannon nods excitedly.


	13. Good News, Bad News

Storm Stories  
Good News, Bad News

Jenn started to hit the gym with Ravyn and Shannon over the next few weeks to prepare for her come back. A few days before her secret return she comes bounding into the house.

"Friend, are you home?" she calls as she opens the front door.  
"Yeah, I'm upstairs," Ravyn yells down from the office.  
"Hey friend," Jenn appears in the doorway. "Could you help me with something?"  
"Sure," Ravyn looks up from her paperwork. "Wow, I love your hair cut "  
"I want to dye it before I go back to the show," Jenn grins. "I want to come back looking completely different."  
"Yes " Ravyn exclaims. "Hair dye party "

The girls set off to the bathroom and get to work transforming Jenn's hair. Ravyn starts with the shortest layers and sets some bleach in to lighten. When they rinse the bleach out a few minutes later the dying process begins. Ravyn works in layers of hot pink, bright red and black. As they're sitting around waiting for they dye to set Shannon pops his head in the door.

"Whoa, that's gonna look sweet," he says as his eyes fall on Jenn's hair.  
"Thanks Shan," Jenn smiles. "Gotta look good for the come back "  
"You will," he promises before turning to Ravyn with a pouting face. "Jenn got a new haircut. I want one too."  
"Oh, do you?" Ravyn smirks.  
"I do," he grins. "Mohawk, do it."  
He sits down on the empty chair and hands Ravyn the clippers he had been hiding behind his back. She smiles and fires them up, carefully shaving down the sides of his head and leaving the center stripe long. Jenn just sits smiling at the two of them. Ravyn brushes some loose hairs off Shannon's head then smiles are her work.

"Were you guys able to get the time off?" Jenn asks hopefully.  
Ravyn reaches over and adjusts one of the clips in Jenn's hair, "Sure did ma'am."

Jenn's return had gone superbly a few weeks earlier. Now Ravyn and Shannon were back to their normal routine of teaching and running Friday night shows. Tuesday morning rolled around and they both headed down to the warehouse. Their morning class arrived around ten and the six of them warmed up together. Ravyn ran the class through drills while Shannon took a call in the office. He returned a few moments later, joining Ravyn in the ring. They had planned on working on selling simple moves. Mostly submissions and other wear down holds. They let the students give it a shot before realizing that they were going to have to demonstrate.  
First Shannon put Ravyn into a sleeper while she was sitting down and she showed the class how she really had to fight out of it to make it look believable. Their heads nodded in unison as they watched. Next Ravyn caught Shannon in a wrist lock and ducked through to really wrench his arm. He sold a bit, so Ravyn ducked under again to add drama to the hold. This time Shannon sold big, dropping to his knee. In one swift motion while Ravyn is talking to the class Shannon slips his free hand into the pocket of his track pants and pulls out a black velvet box. As Ravyn turns back to him to wrench his arm again she flicks the box open with his thumb. She stops in her tracks and lets his wrist slip from her hand in shock. He looks up at her with a huge grin on his face.

"I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you," he starts. "Will you marry me?"  
"Of course," she manages to squeak out while nodding furiously and wiping tears from her eyes as he slides the ring onto her finger.  
"Aww, babes, don't cry," he stands up and pulls her into his arms.  
"I love you so much," she whispers into his ear.

He tilts her chin up and kisses her deeply, sending the students into a frenzy of cheers. Ravyn lets Shannon take over the class for a bit while she regains her composure in the locker room. She looks down at the beautiful ring on her finger and smiles. Before heading back to the ring she detours through the office to cancel the rest of the classes for the day. After taking another moment to admire the ring she returns to class. She and Shannon finish up with the students then take the rest of the day off for themselves.

*****

The next night as she and Shannon return home from the warehouse the phone rings.

"Hello?" Ravyn answers.  
"This is Faith Yokas with the NYPD," the officer states. "Is Ravyn available?"  
"This is she," Ravyn tells her. "What can I do for you?"  
"A few months ago you were in the city and some friends of yours were in a car accident," Faith barely pauses. "It took a while, but we were finally able to get a match on the prints from the other car. The driver wasn't in the New York database, so making a nationwide search took longer than we expected."  
"At least you found them," Ravyn says hopefully. "Who was it?"  
"A man from Chicago," Faith starts. "His name is Joseph Mendez."  
"Please tell me you're joking," Ravyn pleas.  
"I'm afraid not ma'am," Faith apologizes. "Unfortunately, it gets worse..."

Ravyn's face goes pale as the officer explains everything to her. Shannon sees her expression and waits patiently for the call to end. When it does she tells him everything that the officer had just told her. She almost goes into panic mode, but he manages to keep her calm. He also talks her out of calling Jenn when they both know that she's working. Instead he suggests that she call Brian and ask for his advice. She kisses him on the cheek, says thank you, then his speed dial for Brian's cell phone.  
Luckily he answers and listens to everything before jumping to an crazy suggestions. She implies that it might be good to have an extra set of eyes watching over JJ. He instantly picks up on the idea and says he'll catch the next flight out. They hang up and Shannon drags Ravyn off to bed, promising that she can call Jenn first thing in the morning.

True to his word, Shannon hands Ravyn the phone before she's even fully awake the next morning. She quickly dials Jenn's cell phone number and waits for her friend to answer.  
"Hello," Jenn yawns.  
"Hey friend. You um, have a minute to talk?" Ravyn tries to sound positive.  
"Sure, of course I do," Jenn tells her. "What's going on?"  
"Well, I have really really good news and really really bad news. Which do you want first?" Ravyn sighs.  
Jenn pauses for a second, "Um, just give me the good news first."  
"Well, the other day at the warehouse Shannon asked me to marry him," Ravyn smiled to herself.  
Jenn squeals wildly into the phone before responding, "Friend, that is amazing! Congrats! Tell Shannie for me too!"  
"I will!" Ravyn giggles. "When we have a date picked out I'll let you know. Because as my maid of honor you will have to be here."  
The girls talk about the wedding for a bit. Ravyn tells Jenn how Shannon proposed. But soon the conversation turns serious again. "So what is this bad news?" Jenn asks.  
Ravyn lets out a ragged breath, "Well, the cops called here last night. They finally got a match on the prints from the car that hit you guys."  
"Wow, I'd about given up on them ever finding the guy. With it being a stolen car and all," Jenn says. "So now someone will get arrested. That's good news too, friend."  
Ravyn cuts her off, "No J, it's not."  
Jenn is clearly confused by this, "Why is it not good?"  
Ravyn takes a deep breath before blurting out, "The driver of the car was Joe." The other end of line goes quiet as Jenn tries to comprehend what she had just heard. "Jenn! Jenn, please answer me!" Ravyn yells into the receiver.  
"I'm here," Jenn finally responds. "Why did it take them so long to find this out?"  
"Well, since he isn't from New York he wasn't in the statewide database," Ravyn starts. "So they had to go through all of the databases in the country until they found prints that matched. Even then he was under several aliases, so they had to sort all of those out before they found his true identity. So when they found out they went to his house to arrest him, but he wasn't there. And there's more.."  
"What else friend," Jenn asks quietly.  
"It seems his obsession with you hasn't died down over the last two and a half years," Ravyn hesitates. "The police said that there were photos of you all over the house. Some from years ago when he was working here and others were off of the internet from . But the most disturbing, well, he had ones that looking like they were taken by a stalker."  
"That sick son of a bitch. I can't believe it!" Jenn cries in frustration. "So they have no idea where he is?"  
"No," Ravyn sighs. "It looked as though he hadn't been home in weeks."  
"I've been back for weeks, he could be here," Jenn rambles. "He's been following me around. The timing fits."  
Ravyn gasps, "It makes sense."  
"Okay now I'm just freaking myself out," she can hear Jenn jump at something. "There's no way he's been following me this whole time... right?"  
"Well, it is Joe," Ravyn says bluntly. "And he does go overboard with his obsessions."  
"Thanks friend, you've made me feel loads better," Jenn says sarcastically. "Look I'm going back inside the room. Congrats again to you and Shan. I'll talk to you soon."  
"Just be careful, J," Ravyn cautions.

They say goodbye and hang up. Ravyn snuggles back into the safety of Shannon's arms for a few more minutes before they have to get up and go to work.


	14. On the Road Again

Storm Stories  
On The Road Again

"I think the show will work out fine today," Shannon smiles. "You've got a pretty big following for the company."  
Ravyn nods, "And we have some big names on the card tonight too."  
"Maybe we can start running a show on a Sunday afternoon every other month," he suggests.  
"Yeah, like a Pay Per View," she grins.

He wraps his arms around her waist as they look over the card. She sighs happily and leans into him as they edit it together. By noon the warehouse is completely set up and the crowd outside is ready to start filling the seats.

"Are you two goofs ready for doors?" Kanyon calls from behind the curtain.

Ravyn grins and takes Shannon by the hand as she leads him to the back. Doors open shortly after and the seats fill quickly. The show was going really well. The first two matches had been some of the students of the school working with each other. All of them had put on a really good show. The crowd was on their feet as Spike Dudley, whom had worked with Ravyn in ECW, made his way to the ring. He was wildly over, popping the crowd huge every time he looked out at them. Ravyn came out next to a chorus of boos. She ate up the reaction and really heeled it up.  
She and Spike started out with a really technical match, using lots of submissions and other wear down holds. Shortly after they started zipping around on the ropes. Ravyn manages to knock Spike to the mat and heads for the ropes. She climbs the turnbuckles swiftly but as she goes to hit a corkscrew moonsault the ropes buckle, sending her crashing to the mat landing mostly on her neck and back. Spike instantly breaks kayfabe and rushes to her side. She's absolutely still as the referee comes over and motions for the medic. Shannon runs down the aisle and stays with her while the EMT puts her in a c-collar and onto a backboard. He's nearly shaking in fear as he walks next to the stretcher. Her eyes flutter open a few moments later.

"Did I get a 'You fucked up' chant?" she asks seriously.  
He smirks, "No babes. The ropes buckled. Everyone knew it wasn't your fault."  
"How the hell did that happen?" she asks as she raises her arm to tell the crowd that she's not dead.  
"I don't know," he admits. "But you're going to the hospital. No arguing either."  
She sticks her tongue out at him to try and make him relax. "I'm okay, really," she promises. "But if you and the EMT say I have to go, then I will. Just make sure Kanyon knows that he's in charge until we get back."  
"Don't worry about the show," Shannon tells her. "I'm more worried about you."

The EMT does insist that Ravyn go to the hospital, so Shannon follows the ambulance in her car. The doctors insist on running tons of tests and multiple x-rays just to make absolutely sure that nothing is seriously wrong. It's almost midnight when Lodi comes into Ravyn's hospital room where Shannon is nearly asleep sitting in a chair with his head on her lap. She looks up as he comes into the room, absentmindedly playing with Shannon's hair.

"How are you feeling?" he asks.  
"Bored," she frowns. "They're making me stay for observation"  
Shannon looks up and nods a greeting. "I brought your cell phone," Brad tells him. "It's been blowing up since about half an hour ago."  
"Thanks," Shannon says as he looks down at the phone. "It's Jeff. Let me go call him back."  
He leaves the room and Brad informs Ravyn about how the rest of the show had gone. He also tells her that she was really lucky to be mostly unharmed from the fall. After the accident they had found that all of the top turnbuckles had been rigged to give way as soon as someone went to jump off of them.

"Who would do something so stupid?" she asks in amazement.  
"Don't know," Brad admits. "Someone that really wanted someone else to get hurt."  
Shannon walks back into the room with a look of rage on his face, "That fucking bastard did this!"  
"Hun, what are you talking about?" Ravyn asks carefully.  
"Joe," Shannon fumes. "J and Jeff were sent a picture of us from earlier today, from that asshole."  
"You think he did this?" Brad asks.  
"I wouldn't put it past him," Ravyn sighs. "That means he was here, in my building, and I didn't even know it."  
Shannon stomps around the room angrily, "And he did something that could have easily killed you. If I get my hands on that piece of shit. I'm gonna..."  
Ravyn cuts him off, "Babes, I'm okay. Right now there's nothing we can do. We have no proof."  
"She's right," Brad concurs. "Besides if J got a picture, then he must be back to following her."  
"I told Jeff you would call first thing in the morning," Shannon explained. "I think you should get some rest now though."

Shannon manages to get her discharged early the next morning. As soon as they get into the car Ravyn calls Jenn.

"Hello?" Jenn answers almost before the phone can even ring.  
"Hi friend," Ravyn sighs.  
"I'm so glad to hear your voice!" Jenn exclaims. "Are you okay?"  
"I'm fine, I promise. You can stop worrying now," Ravyn laughs. "Just an accident. Went for a high spot, ropes gave way. Down I went. Maybe it's a sign that I could stand to lose a few."  
"Doubt it," Jenn gets serious. "Joe has been giving me pictures pretty frequently. And last night when we got to the hotel there was a picture of you and Shannon. It was time stamped yesterday morning. Listen friend, I really think that you and Shan should come travel with us for a while... strength in numbers and all that jazz."  
Ravyn consults with Shannon before responding, "Okay, I can't be in the ring for a while anyway. And I can leave Brad and Kanyon in charge of the school for a bit. Where are you going to be tomorrow? I'll see about flights."

The girls finish their conversation as Shannon pulls into their driveway. Ravyn makes a few phone calls to get things squared away with the school before checking plane tickets. When everything is booked she and Shannon pack then hang out with each other before heading to the airport. Their flight lands only an hour before Jenn's so they don't bother leaving the terminal. There's much squealing and excitement when the other plane lands and everyone is reunited.  
Over the next few days the madness of everyone traveling together grows. Matt decides to buy a handheld camcorder. Everyone is riding together in one huge van and the nonsense never ends. One day Brian pulls into a gas station while Matt is filming and all sorts of insanity endues. While Brian and Billy take care of pumping gas the rest of the group heads into the convenience store, Matt rolling film the whole time.

"What kind of bullshit is this?" Shannon exclaims.  
"What's wrong?" Jenn asks.  
"Look at all these slushie flavors," he points.  
"Okay," Jenn says expecting more.  
"He's pissed that there's no lime," Ravyn informs her.  
"Seriously?" Jenn snickers.  
Shannon crosses his arms angrily, "Don't you mock the amazingness that is Lime slushie!"  
"Lime, really?" Jeff scoffs. "Is New York fucking with your taste buds? Blue raspberry is the best."  
"I disagree," Ravyn chimes in. "While blue raspberry is a delicious flavor, raspberry lemonade is obviously the superior option!"  
Jenn's eyes get wide, "Friend, that just can't be. Strawberry Kiwi is just the tastiest!"  
"Cherry is the tastiest," Matt says from behind the camera with a cheesy grin.  
"Oh Matthew," Ravyn smirks. "That, is just filthy."

She and Shannon nearly collapse in a fit of giggles while Matt stops filming. They all finish getting their snacks and head back out on the road for more adventures. One night while the group is goofing off and cooking in their super hotel suite there's a knock at the door. Shannon, being the closest, gets up to look through the peep hole only to find no one there. As he goes to open the door the rest of the guys step up behind him to have his back if he needs them. Instead he kneels down to pick up a vase of flowers with a card nestled in them. He doesn't take his eyes off of Jenn as he brings them over to her. She takes a deep breath before pulling off the card and tearing open the envelope. She reveals a sympathy card with the words "Sorry for your hard times" on the front. She opens it and reads to herself before flipping her phone open.

A moment later she asks, "Do we know where we're booked at the end of September for RAW?"  
Matt glances through his phone calendar, "Looks like we're scheduled to be in Vegas, why?"

She hands him the card and everyone gathers around him to read the inside. "But they're about to get harder. 9/30"

"Looks like Joe is finally making his move," she says.  
"What's so special about September 30th?" Matt asks.  
Billy answers first, "It's her birthday."  
"We should try to get off of the card that night," Jeff suggests. "We can use your birthday as an excuse."  
Jenn shakes her head, "No, I'm sick of all the games. I want this to be over. We go through with the show and finally get the bastard caught."

They all eventually accept this plan, after much debate about safety. Everyone settles down for the night to watch TV. They end up watching an episode of South Park where the boys decide to become wrestlers.

"Holy shit," Jeff starts to giggle. "Shannon, Butters stole your gimmick!"

Everyone starts to laugh as they realize that Butter's blonde mohawk looks suspiciously like Shannon's. The jokes continue well past the length of the episode.


	15. Unhappy Birthdays

Storm Stories  
Unhappy Birthdays

"What do you want to do for your birthday?" Jenn asks Ravyn.  
Ravyn thinks, "It's tomorrow silly."  
"I know that, friend," Jenn laughs. "We'll be in Kentucky."  
"I wouldn't mind hanging out at Churchill Downs for the day," Ravyn says. "Maybe earn a few bucks."  
Jenn smiles, "Sounds good to me."

*****

Their plane lands late that night and everyone goes straight to bed so they can get up early the next morning. They get dressed for the track and end up having a really great day. The girls came home with more money that they left with while the boys came back with slightly lighter wallets.

"I don't know what your problem was," Brian laughs as they walk through the hallway to their hotel room. "I just watched who the girls were picking and bet the same ones."

The girls just giggle as Matt hopes the door to their suite. He stops in his tracks before even stepping inside the room. He makes the girls stay outside with Brian and Shannon while he Jeff and Billy make sure the room is safe. The girls look at each other in confusion until they see the bouquet of lilies sitting on the table just inside the door. There is a card leaned up against the vase with Ravyn's name on it. The guys return only when they're sure that there is no one in the room.  
Ravyn walks up to the vase and reaches for the card with shaking hands. Shannon steps up behind her and puts a reassuring hand around her waist. She tears the flap off of the envelope and looks at the card. She holds the pretty birthday card in her hands for a moment. As she opens it a picture falls into her hands. It's of her and Shannon at the track earlier that day. The picture shows them kissing under one of the trees alongside the saddling paddock. She lets the picture slip from her fingers and Shannon catches it. His face flashes with rage when he realizes what it is. She closes the card, sets it back on the table then turns to bury her face in Shannon's chest. He wraps his arms around her, not sure why she's quite so upset. He reaches out behind her and picks the card up off of the table. He reads the words inside before angrily tossing the card to the feet of everyone watching in confusion.  
Jenn kneels down to pick it up and show everyone. They read the words that Joe has menacingly written. "Real Killer, that is me." She knows the reference immediately. A rapper from her home town had written those words about abortion. Jenn's mind instantly flashes back to the last time Joe and Ravyn had been face to face. He had caught her off guard and beaten her up badly. She'd broken a few ribs and among other injuries she had lost a baby she hadn't even known she was carrying. Jenn ushers everyone else into one of the side rooms so that they could have some privacy. Shannon and Ravyn go straight to their room so that no one else has to feel like they're being secluded.  
After a few hours of being along, with lots of crying. They emerge only to head down to the hotel gym. Ravyn sets the treadmill to some ridiculous speed while Shannon hammers away at a punching bag a few feet over.

"If he actually shows up next month," Shannon keeps punching. "I'm going to fucking kill him."  
"Not if I get to him first," she promises.  
"Babes, I don't want you anywhere near him," he says between beats of the bag.  
"Trust me," she huffs while running madly. "I don't want to be." Her treadmill slows to a stop and she steps off into Shannon's arms. Tears well up in her eyes and he wipes them away. "I just want him to be gone forever."  
"I know," he hushes her. "I know."

Together they take the elevator back up to the suite. Ravyn takes a shower, the whole time listening to Shannon yell about Joe in the other room. She takes some time to herself to just sit in the shower and think. Between bouts of crying she manages to clear her head enough to finish out the night watching a movie with everyone else. Matt even surprises her and Jeff with a cake since their birthdays are only a day apart.

*****

Everyone is able to relax over the next few weeks when Joe doesn't make contact with the group. They travel to Las Vegas early on the Sunday before Jenn's birthday. They spend some time exploring the strip before heading to the grocery store to pick up stuff for dinner. As they wander down and aisle Shannon starts snickering to himself and making duck noises.

"Shan," Jenn is perplexed. "Are you quacking over there?"  
"Not really," he looks up at her smirking. "But have you ever noticed that when a duck quacks it sounds like guacamole? Guac guac guac..."  
Ravyn jumps in from behind Jenn, "Amole!"  
Jenn laughs, "You two have done this bit before haven't you?"

Ravyn and Shannon giggle cunningly and soon Jenn joins in the laughter. They finish up at the store and head to the hotel to start cooking. While they're prepping the food there is a knock at the door, which Brian answers. Again, a vase of flowers. This one has a DVD instead of a note attached to it. Jenn holds the case for a moment before finding the strength to put it in the DVD player.  
The video starts playing automatically. It shows the group on the Vegas strip earlier that day filming a skit for Matt's camera. They're being filmed from across the street behind a stack of shipping crates. The camera turns to show Joe grinning maniacally into the lens. "Happy birthday tomorrow JJ. I can't wait to see you," he says as he starts to laugh sadistically. The camera pans back to the group and zooms in on Jenn before fading to black.  
The tensions filling the room is so thick that it's almost visible. Before anyone can say anything Jenn hurls the vase of flowers against the wall and crumples to the floor in a complete mental breakdown. The group comforts her as best they can, but realize that she really just needs to have this moment. She slowly comes back around, feeling embarrassed for her outbreak. They all assure her that she was more than allowed to have that reaction. Shannon suggests that they take Jenn out for her birthday instead of staying in the room and dwelling on the situation.

*****

Ravyn and Shannon spend the car ride to the arena the next day whining about not getting breakfast in bed like Jenn and Jeff had. They keep ribbing Billy and Brian to try and keep the mood in the car light. No one wants to admit how nervous they are about what could happen that night. At the arena they barely manage to keep themselves busy until match time. Everyone escorts Jenn to the curtain, assuming that is Joe is going to make a move it will be while she's in the ring. Shane Helms walks up behind them looking confused at the array of people.

"What's with the entourage?" Helms asks.  
Shannon jumps in when he sees the panic creeping onto Jenn's face, "she's got a nutcase after her... remember Joe? He's back and wreaking havoc."  
"Holy shit are you serious?" Shane looks baffled. Jenn nods trying to fight back the flurry of emotion. "It'll all be good kid. I got your back."  
Shane's music plays and he heads down to the ring with Molly. Luckily Jenn's match goes off without a hitch. Joe was nowhere to be found, which only brought momentary relief to the group. Until they realized that he could be waiting for them at any turn. Matt and Jeff have a match shortly after Jenn's. Amy and Jenn wait by the monitors with Ravyn and Shannon for their run in spot. Shannon watches as his girlfriend paces back and forth anxiously. Jenn looks around nervously, knowing her time in the safety of backstage is coming to an end. Ravyn stops to place a hand on Jenn's shoulder. Stacey and Spike shoot them a smile before heading down the ramp for their interference. Ravyn pulls Jenn into a hug, silently reassuring her before she and Amy take off down the aisle.  
She and Shannon remain glued to the monitors to keep an eye on Jenn. They watch intently as the action on the outside of the ring escalates to Stacey and Spike being put through tables. Inside the ring Jeff is setting up a ladder and climbing to the top. When he jumps off the crowd pops and Jenn takes a step back towards the barricade where the fans pat her on the back. In the blink of an eye though, everything changes. One of the people patting her on the back grabs onto her with both arms. His face is covered by a Rey Mysterio mask, but Ravyn instantly knows who it is. A moment later he reaches up and removes the mask, confirming Ravyn's suspicion. She grabs Shannon's arm in terror.

"What do we do?" she asks trying to suppress the panic in her voice.  
"We go!" Shannon exclaims. "You take the ramp. I'll go through the crowd with the Outlaws."

They split up and go running in opposite directions to get to Jenn. Ravyn flies down the ramp and is at Jeff's side as they jump the barricade together. Joe continues to back up to where the stadium seating begins. With a sick smile on his face he reaches behind himself and pulls a 9 millimeter glock from his waistband.  
At the sight of the gun Ravyn loses control and takes off towards Joe. Shannon manages to grab her before she can get too close to danger though. Her fury sends Joe into defensive mode. He keeps pointing the gun at the group and then back to Jenn. He aims the gun towards Ravyn then slowly scans down the line, pausing from person to person. Brian fakes out a security guard to make a run at joe. Jenn shouts in protest as Joe cocks the gun. Somehow she wiggles enough to mess up his shot and he fires into the air. The crowd only now realizes that his isn't part of the show. In a heartbeat the people are running in a panicked frenzy to escape the mad man with a gun.  
Security quickly turns their attention to the stampede of terrified people, trying to heard them to safety. This leaves enough room for the group to try and approach Joe. Ravyn tries to break away, but Shannon uses all of his strength to hold her back. While Joe is distracted by her attempt to get at him Brian, Billy and Jeff slowly step forward to confront him. Realizing that they're making a move, Joe starts moving the gun back and forth between the three of them. Shannon, Matt and Amy drag Ravyn a relatively safe distance back from the mayhem with her kicking and fighting them every step. She doesn't even notice that the Police have swarmed the building until they push past the four of them to get to Joe. Their view of the situation is completely blocked by riot shields. An instant later the shout of "Freeze Police!" starts a rain of gunfire. When the echos of the last shots finally fade the Police have a wildly protesting Joe in custody.  
Ravyn looks up from the floor, after making sure that Shannon is ok she squeezes out of his grasp and runs to Brian. He's slumped over, leaning up against a wall holding his arm. Ravyn has to look twice to see the blood seeping from between his fingers. Billy and Shannon rush up behind her and quickly notice Brian's condition. Billy kneels at his side and nervously asks him if he's okay.

Brian raises his head to look at Billy. And with a painful smile he answers, "Tis merely a flesh wound."  
Billy hugs him tightly and says, "You're such an asshole."  
"Where's J?" Brian asks after shooting a grin at Billy. "Please tell me she's okay."  
Ravyn turns around to see Jenn crumpled in a heap on the cold cement floor. "JJ, are you alright?" he voice oozes panic. "JJ!"

EMT's surround her before anyone else can get to her. They keep everyone else back until they're sure that Jenn is actually okay. When they step away from her she immediately notices that Brian and Billy are missing.

"Where are Jess and Billy?" Jenn swallows roughly.  
Ravyn tries to hide her concern for Brian before answering. "Jess got grazed in the arm by a bullet," she explains carefully. "He's been taken to a hospital to be checked over and Billy went with him."

Over the next several hours things slow down. Jenn finally accepts that Joe is out of her life and can't harass her anymore. Brian checks out of the hospital with only a graze. Jenn ends up with a mild concussion from getting hit in the temple with the butt of the gun. For the first time in weeks though, everyone can finally relax.


	16. Relative Normalcy

Storm Stories  
Relative Normalcy

After the dramatic ending to their visit to Las Vegas the group drive through Colorado and into Kansas. They spend a few days catching up with Jenn's family before driving to North Carolina. While Matt and Jeff spend time with their dad Ravyn and Shannon spend as much time with Shannon's mom as they can. They all hop back into cars a few days later to finally head back to New York.  
Ravyn and Shannon easily slip back into their teaching routine. Team Xtreme help out wherever they can with the school, which the students love. After a particularly intense Friday class Jenn and Ravyn crash out in the ring. They talk for hours, much like they used to when Jenn lived with Ravyn. Their conversation is only interrupted by Ravyn's phone ringing.

"Hello," she answers with a smile. "Yeah we're at the warehouse... oh is that so?.. alright, come on down anytime and we can sign you up..." She hangs up the phone and lounges back against the bottom rope. "Hey friend, guess what?" she asks Jenn who is sprawled across the canvas.  
"What?" Jenn responds.  
"You can finally have your birthday present!" Ravyn grins.  
Jenn sits up as a smile creeps across her face, "Oh really?"

Ravyn helps her to her feet and takes her to the big double doors at the front of the warehouse. After Ravyn exchanges a series of secret knocks with someone on the outside she slowly opens the doors. As the girls eyes adjust from the bright sunlight a figure steps into the warehouse.

"Marty!" Jenn squeals and hugs him.  
"That's right baby!" Marty smiles. "First name Cham, last name Pain! Here to say happy belated birthday kid! Also, I'm glad to see that you're alright."Jenn thanks him as the rest of the boys come out to see what the excitement is all about.  
"Okay, I'm going to say it again. Is there anyone you don't know from working here?" Matt asks in confusion. "So how do you know Marty?"  
"Pretty much the same way I know Shannon and Shane. While I was hurt Ravyn went to North Carolina to do some work. Met Shannon, fell madly in love with him," she pauses to wink at Ravyn's glare. "Soon all these boys from the dirty dirty started coming up here to work every so often. Cham Pain being one of them!"  
Ravyn looks at Shannon and starts to giggle. She looks back at Jenn and asks, "Remember your first trip to the south, friend?"  
"Sure I do. We got a phone call from..." she gasps as she realizes what Ravyn was hinting at. She starts to blush as Ravyn and Shannon are overcome by wild laughter. "Oh my god. I.. I completely forgot that!  
"What happened?" Amy aks.  
Jenn turns to Jeff. "Jeff, you called here looking for Shannon, that was me that answered the phone! You needed a tag team to take your place in a match because you had just gotten your contracts and couldn't work Indies anymore. I was such a geek after I found out it was you on the phone, cause I had a major crush on you then... and I can't believe I just said that."  
"She was marking out so hard," Shannon confirms.  
Everyone laughs at the scenario, then Marty brings up more of their trip, "Man, what a riot these two started! You guys should have seen it!" Jenn and Ravyn exchange sneaky grins as Marty rummages in his bag, "Well now, what do I have here? Why, it's a tape of that show! Someone call Sugar Shane! That boy needs to be here for this and then we will get this party started!"  
Jenn calls Shane while Ravyn and Shannon sneak back to the office to finish some paperwork.  
"This party is gonna get crazy," Shannon declares.  
"Why's that?" Ravyn asks.  
"Shane is coming," Shannon states. "I'll bet you five bucks that he brings at least three cases of liquor and at least five other people."  
"I'll accept that bet," she spins around in her chair and they shake hands.

Soon they hear Shane calling for a hand and stand up to go help. Before Ravyn can open the door Shannon pulls her into his arms and kisses her. She looks up at him happily then leads him out of the office to help Shane. Ravyn goes to help set up chairs while the boys lug Shane's wares inside. As Shannon had predicted Shane brought Molly, Lodi, Joey Matthews, Edge, Trish and Kanyon with him. Along with boxes of alcohol. While everyone greeted each other Shannon sidled up alongside Ravyn with a smug look on his face. Without a word she reaches into her pocket and pulls out a five dollar bill. He smirks as she hands it over without even looking at him. Everyone settles down as Marty fast forwards the tape to the right spot.  
On the TV Shannon and Shane wait in the ring as the girls' music plays. Everyone is confused as to why they weren't coming down the aisle. The room is filled with laughter as the girls burst through the curtain dressed as Shannon and Shane. Jenn doing Shane's Serial Thrillaz dance causes another eruption of laughs. Everyone watches the match between fits of giggles. When the bell rings after Shannon gets the pin the room explodes as "Mmbop" plays on the speakers.

"Whooo! I'd forgotten just how priceless this really was," Marty wipes a tear from his eye from laughing so hard.  
Shane nods, "I really thought we would have a mob on our hands."  
"So did I," Jenn grins. "But it was so worth it for the looks on your faces!"  
"You definitely got the Pines against you," Shannon laughs. "But I think I got New York more riled up with what I did." Shannon and the girls exchange nods.  
Jeff's curiosity gets the better of him, "What did you do man?" he asks.  
Shannon looks at Ravyn, "Tape?"  
Ravyn nods then turns to Jenn, "Tape?"  
"Tape," Jenn confirms before scampering off to the office for the tape in question.  
"It must have been awesome if she ran off to get it that quickly,"Matt chuckles.  
"It was," Ravyn confirms. "Keep in mind, JJ and Ravyn's history. That's a crazy close bond that most of the fans here have been following since Jenn started wrestling."

The group nods as Jenn rushes back and pops the tape into the VCR. She fast forwards to the match. Shannon and Shane stand in the far corner of the ring and the girls start closest to the camera. They work through the match until the referee gets knocked out. Shannon rolls to the outside fo the ring and grabs a kendo stick. Everyone watches in awe as Ravyn stops Shannon from hitting JJ with it only to turn on her best friend and smash her over the head herself.

*****

The next morning everyone pitches in to clean up the mess from the party the night before. They spend the day goofing off and playing soccer before everyone has to go back to work the next day.  
They pile into cars and head off to the arena in downtown Albany. They park in the garage and go to the security check point at the back doors. As the security guard is clearing their names he tells Ravyn, Shannon and Brian that Vince wants to see them. They three of them exchange a perplexed look before promising to meet everyone back in the locker room.  
They make their way through the labyrinth of hallways in the arena walking like Dorothy, the Scarecrow and the Tin Man. With their arms linked they make it to the line outside Vince's office. They chatter nervously amongst themselves as they wait. Soon enough they're being ushered in to see Vince. He smiles when he sees them coming into his office. He stands up and shakes each of their hands before gesturing for them to sit down.

"Let me start by thanking each of you for everything you've done over the past few weeks to help both Ms. James and my company. All of your travel expenses will be reimbursed," Vince promises. "Without you three we could have had a real catastrophe on our hands in Vegas. I'd like to offer you a job Brian, a spot back on my roster. I think it might be time to bring the Outlaws back together. Switch things up some for TV. That is, if you want to come back, Brian."  
Brian grins, "I'd love to. Thank you, Vince."  
"You've more than earned it," Vince smiles. "Ravyn, I know that you trained Ms. James. Would you be willing to come on to the women's roster to spice things up?"  
Ravyn takes a moment to think over Vince's offer before responding, "While I appreciate the offer Vince, I really don't think right now is the right time for me to give up on my school to come here."  
"I would be willing to make you a substantial offer, financially," he counters.  
"Thank you," she stops him mid thought. "But I'll still have to decline."  
"Very well then. Shannon, I would also like to offer you a place with my company," Vince turns to face him. "I'm not sure where I would use you yet, but if you agree then my writers will get on it immediately."  
Shannon barely lets him finish, "I'm sorry Vince. If Ravyn isn't going to be coming along, I'm not interested."  
Ravyn looks at him, obviously shocked, "Babe, if you want to do this then don't let me stop you!"  
"It wouldn't be the same without you there with me," Shannon assures her. "Maybe some other time, Vince. But that you for the offer."  
"Understood," Vince nods. "Well thank you guys for your time. Brian, we'll start you back on TV right away."

They all shake hands with Vince again before heading back to the locker room to share Brian's good news. They explain their meeting with Vince. Everyone is excited to hear that Brian is returning, even more when they hear the Outlaws will be working with Team Xtreme. Ravyn and Shannon stay and hang out during the show before saying goodbye to their friends, who will be off to another town the next morning.


	17. The Korean Assassin

**Another guest appearance from a Hardy Show regular. How do you guys like this so far? Hate it, love it?**

Storm Stories  
The Korean Assassin

Time seems to be flying by. Ravyn and Shannon have a full group of new students. They try to stay late at the warehouse on Mondays and Thursdays so that they can watch their friends on TV with their students. Jenn's storyline has her making her first heel turn against Team Xtreme. She spends a lot of time on the phone with Ravyn not only to ask for advice about wrestling, but to help with Ravyn's upcoming wedding plans. The girls keep in touch as well as they can with their busy schedules.  
Ravyn is in the ring teaching a class when a muscular man comes into the warehouse and sits on one of the folding chairs just watching. When class is finished he walks up to Ravyn with a smile.

"My name is David, but everyone calls me Kimo," he extends his hand and they shake. "I'm supposed to start training here tomorrow."  
She smiles, "Nice to meet you, Kimo. I don't know how we haven't met before."  
"Shannon got me signed up," he explains. "I was just wondering if there was any way I could work off part of tuition, he said you're in charge of that."  
"Sure, I think we can work something out," Ravyn assures him. "Come early tomorrow. We can start you off with cleaning the gym."  
A relieved look crosses his face, "Thank you. I really appreciate it."

She nods to him before heading to the office to do some paperwork before her next class.

*****

As instructed, Kimo was at the warehouse the next morning. And he continued to show up every day that they were open. He showed a lot of heart and promise during class. He put in as much time as he could at the warehouse when he wasn't working his Army recruiting job.

As they finished class one day Ravyn and Shannon head back to the office. They settle down to work on the booking sheets for the weekends' card when Kimo knocks on the frame of the open door.

"Hey," Shannon smiles.  
"Can I talk to you guys privately?" Kimo asks nervously.  
"Sure," Ravyn says gesturing to the couch. "What's up?"  
Kimo closes the door and sits on the couch opposite Shannon and Ravyn's chairs. "You guys have already been so helpful to me, and I really hate asking for more," he looks down at his feet. "But, rent is going up at my apartment building and I'm not sure I'll be able to afford it anymore. Do you guys know of any place I could look at that might be cheaper than Aspen Hollow?"  
Ravyn lets the question sink in and thinks about the possibilities before answering, "There aren't many places cheaper than where you're at. I mean, at least in what I would consider livable condition."  
"Really?" Kimo looks dejected. "Dammit. I was really hoping I could make this work. I'm going to have to stop training if I can't find another option."  
"We can't have that," Shannon states. "Let us think some more and hopefully we can come up with something."  
Kimo smiles, "Thanks. I really don't want to have to quit."  
"We'll try to figure something out," Ravyn assures him. "We don't want to lose you either."  
Kimo shakes their hands before leaving the room. Shannon looks over at Ravyn hopefully. "Oh, I know exactly what you're thinking," she smirks. "And don't think I'm not thinking it too. We just need to clean out the spare room."  
"So, can we tell him today?" Shannon grins.  
"Sure," Ravyn smiles. "As long as you're going to help me clean when we get home."

Shannon just nods before turning back to his desk. Ravyn smirks at her fiancé and looks down at her pile of papers. They work together to get through the card as quickly as possible. As soon as they're finished they head down to the gym where they know Kimo will be. As they expected, they find him working out on one of the lifting machines. Ravyn stretches out a bit and jumps on the machine next to him while Shannon spots them both. When the last student trickles out of the gym Ravyn stops her workout and looks over at kimo.

"We've come up with something that might help your situation," she says.  
"Oh?" Kimo stops lifting and looks at her intently.  
"We have a spare room at our place," she starts. "We'll keep rent low. You'll have your own bathroom and access to laundry, kitchen etcetera. You just keep working here doing what you're doing. Stay with the Army and keep training hard in class and we can make this work."  
"Are.. Are you guys sure about this?" Kimo asks skeptically. "I don't want to intrude on your privacy."  
"It's a big house," Shannon chuckles. "You'll have to try pretty hard to intrude."  
"He's right," Ravyn smiles. "There's plenty of room for you."  
A grin creeps across Kimo's face, "You two are amazing. I'm going to head out and start packing. Thank you, really."  
Shannon nods, "Just give us a few days to clean out the spare room."  
Kimo shakes his head before standing up and heading to the locker room to gather his things. "It'll be nice to have a student in the house again," Ravyn admits.  
"Yeah, I miss not having JJ around," Shannon agrees.  
"Kimo is a good kid," Ravyn states. "He deserves the chance to make it."  
Shannon nods in agreement and then settle into a workout routine.

*****

Early the next week Kimo arrives to move his things into the spare room. Shannon takes him on a tour of the house before everyone pitches in to get him moved in. They're done quickly since Kimo doesn't have a lot of possessions. Once everything is inside Ravyn starts cooking dinner while the boys watch TV in the living room. She smiles to herself as she realizes that she likes having someone else in the house. It makes her feel like they're a family. Having Kimo around was going to be good for them.


	18. A Surprise Visit

Storm Stories  
A Surprise Visit

"Okay now you work through with Shannon," Ravyn says as she tries to catch her breath after doing some chain wrestling with Kimo. "If you keep working like this I'll think about putting you on next week's card."  
Kimo nods as he and Shannon lock up and begin working through a match. Ravyn leans on a turnbuckle watching the boys wrestle. It had been a little more than a month since Kimo had moved in with her and Shannon. Having him there had really improved their life. Much like when JJ had been living with them, it was almost like they were family. Where Jenn had been Ravyn's little sister, Kimo was definitely Shannon's little brother. They reminded her of when Shannon and Jeff were together, playing around like boys. As soon as they stepped into the ring though they were all business. Kimo had been training every free moment to improve, and he had made a ton of progress. He was one of the best students they had ever had and she was sure that they could get him to the big leagues.

"Alright guys, that's enough," she calls to them. "Go get cleaned up so we can hit the movie store on the way home."  
"I love Tuesdays," Kimo grins. "No Army, all day down here, then new movies come out."  
"And it's your turn to make dinner," Shannon smirks.

The next morning they pull into the parking lot of the warehouse laughing at Kimo's story about why Korean's have slanted eyes. Ravyn unlocks the door and flips on the warehouse lights. She slowly climbs the stairs to the office between giggles.

"You better not make that poor kid eat rice tonight," she calls down to Shannon, who winks before opening the gym door. She turns into the office and gasps, "J?" There sitting on the couch in the office is Jenn. She's got a black eye and a fat lip. Ravyn can see hand prints around her neck and a gash across her cheek. "Oh my god! Shannon! Shannon get up here!"  
She sits down carefully next to her friend and slips an arm around her shoulders. Shannon comes thundering up the stairs at the panic in Ravyn's voice. "What? What's wrong?" he asks before rushing through the door. When he sees Jenn on the couch he stops in his tracks. "Oh shit.. What happened?"  
"I don't know, she hasn't said," Ravyn shakes her head. "But Shan, she's trembling. Friend, what happened? Did Joe somehow get out of jail?"  
Jenn shakes her head, but remains silent. Shannon and Ravyn exchange worried looks as Jenn shakily wipes a tear from her cheek. "Jeff," she barely squeaks.  
"Jeff?" Shannon is stunned as Jenn nods. "Jeff did this? I don't believe it. Jeff would never.."  
"You think I would lie about something like this?" Jenn cuts him off. "He's doped up on drugs and booze. He nearly choked me to death because of it."  
"Damn," Shannon sinks into his office chair in disbelief. "I.. I just can't believe it. Drugs? Really?"  
"Pain killers," Jenn nods sadly.  
"But J," Ravyn pulls her close. "Why are you here?"  
Jenn wipes her eyes again and explains, "I left. Billy gave me a ride to the bus station and I came here. I didn't know what else to do. I couldn't stay there."  
A knock on the frame of the office door silences them. "Hey the students are here and are wondering..." Kimo pauses. "Oh, um, sorry. Did I interrupt something?"  
"Kimo this is JJ. JJ meet Kimo," Shannon introduces them. "Kimo has been helping us out and learning to wrestle. I'll be down in a minute." Kimo waves sheepishly and heads back down to the ring. "I'll teach the classes today. You stay up here with J," he places a reassuring hand on Jenn's shoulder. "It'll be okay, Super J."  
As Shannon walks out of the room Ravyn looks at Jenn, "Friend, does anyone know that you're here?"  
"No, but it wouldn't be hard to figure out," Jenn shakes her head sadly. "I can't believe this happened. I'm sorry I brought this shit here to you. You don't need the stress."  
Ravyn waves her off, "Don't think about that now. Listen, I'm going to go have Shannon take the kids out for a run and then I'm going to get you to the house. Just hang tight, I'll be back."

Jenn nods as Ravyn leaves the room. Once she's down the steps Ravyn leans up against the cement wall and takes a few deep breaths. She can't shake the horrible feeling that this is only going to get worse. She takes a moment to herself before going off to find Shannon. Kimo points her to the gym where Shannon has they day's first class stretching out on the floor. She catches his eye and motions him over to her. He tells the group to keep stretching and meets her outside the doorway.

"Are you okay?" he asks her quietly.  
She nods, "Yeah, just shocked and worried."  
He pulls her in for a hug, "I know babe. I am too. I can't believe Jeff would ever lay a hand on her. He loves her so much."  
"Drugs to stupid things to people," she admits. "I'm going to take her back to the house. Can you take the class out for a run so she doesn't have everyone staring at her on the way out?"  
He agrees, "We don't need this starting any rumors with the dirt sheets. I'll call you between classes."  
She stands up on her toes to kiss him, "I love you."  
"I love you too, babes," he kisses her again before returning to the class.  
Ravyn turns to start back towards the stairs but gets distracted by Kimo's worried look as he cleans the merchandise booth. She walks over and sits on the table. He stops cleaning and leans across the counter top so he doesn't have to raise his voice, "Is your friend okay?"  
"She's pretty beat up. Physically and emotionally," Ravyn explains. "She's going to be staying with us for a bit. You two will have to share that bathroom. You already know where her room is."  
He nods, "Anything I can do to help?"  
"Just be a good friend," Ravyn tells him. "And hopefully she'll snap back to herself. Shannon can fill you in on the story. I'm, going to take her home."  
"We'll pick up dinner on the way home," he says.

She thanks him and hops off the table to get Jenn home.

Shannon and Kimo come through the front door later that night. Kimo places a couple of pizza boxes on the kitchen counter.  
"How's Jenn," Shannon asks Ravyn.  
"Asleep," she sighs. "She's exhausted. Matt called me a little while ago. It didn't take him long to figure out when she had gone. He's worried. But I told him she was okay here with us. Just needed some time to recover."  
Shannon nods, "I haven't gotten to look at my phone today. We were really busy."  
The three of them sit down and tiredly dig into the pizza. They briefly contemplate waking Jenn up but decide that she needs rest most of all. As they're clearing the table Shannon's phone rings.

"I can't believe you have the fucking balls to call me right now," Shannon answers harshly. "No Jeff, I don't care about how your day is going. Do you know how my day started? I get to the warehouse and find a beaten and bloody girl I can barely recognize trembling on my office couch.. Shut the fuck up Jeff! She had your hand prints around her throat. No one here wants to see you anytime soon. Not until you sober up and stop acting like a jackass!" He angrily slams his phone shut and tosses it onto the counter.  
"I'm sorry babe," Ravyn wraps an arm around him.  
"I could fucking kill him right now," Shannon steams.  
"Why don't you guys go relax in the hot tub," she suggests. "I'm going to check on Jenn, then I'll be out."

Shannon and Ravyn come down the stairs the next morning to find Jenn and Kimo already in the kitchen

"Hey Super J!" Shannon greets her, happy to see her up and about.  
"Morning Shannie," she smiles. "Mind if I come down to the warehouse with you?"  
He looks over at Ravyn who shrugs, "I don't see why not." His phone rings, "It's Matt. He's called several times this morning. I sort of feel bad ignoring him."  
Jenn shoots him a pitiful look, "Please don't answer it. Not now."  
He nods and slips the phone back into his pocket, "You're in luck J! Kimo here was just about to make us his famous steak and eggs breakfast!"  
"I was?" Kimo asks before he realizes that Shannon got him. "Dammit, I guess I was." They all laugh and enjoy breakfast together before heading down to the warehouse.

Later that day Kimo convinces Jenn to workout with him while Ravyn and Shannon tweak the schedule for the following week.  
"How long do you think J will hide out for?" Shannon asks.  
"Until she feels safe," Ravyn states. "Just the mention of Jeff gets her all shaky."  
"I'm not sure if she's more scared of him, or for him," Shannon says. "If I were her I wouldn't know what to do."  
Ravyn reaches over and grabs his hand, "That's why she's here. She knows that she will always be safe with us. Jeff better man up and apologize soon though, or he risks losing her completely."  
"He's fucked up," Shannon shakes his head. "Yesterday on the phone he was slurring like crazy and trying to get me to understand why he did it."  
"Really?" Ravyn asks in astonishment.  
He nods, "I've never been so embarrassed to be his friend. I feel so bad for her. She's been through enough, she doesn't deserve this too."  
Ravyn rolls her chair closer and kissed him gently, "I know babe. It'll be okay. She just needs some time." The office phone rings and Ravyn slides back over to pick it up. "Wrestling," she answers, then a look of horror crosses over her face. "Okay. I'll let them know right away."  
"Who was that?" Shannon asks looking worried.  
"Matt. Jeff's been in a car crash," she rolls back to take Shannon's hand. "He was on the way here from Jersey to see Jenn. He lost control of the rental on the freeway. They took him to St. Michael's in Newark. They have him listed as critical."  
Shannon's face falls, "No, this can't be happening."  
"Take Jenn and go to him," she squeezes his hand. "I'll check flights you find her."

He nods and stands up to go find Jenn while Ravyn begins clicking at a furious pace on the computer. After fifteen minutes of searching she realizes that she isn't going to find anything to get them there efficiently. She heads down stairs where she finds Shannon and Jenn leaning against the ring apron in shock.

"Shannon, you don't look like you're in a state to drive," Ravyn worries out loud. "I wish you would fly."  
"No," Jenn argues. "It would take too long."  
"I'll drive them," Kimo offers.  
Ravyn hugs Kimo, "Thank you. I'll meet you guys there tomorrow. I just need to get things closed up here."

They quickly exchange goodbyes and just like that, they're gone. Ravyn heads back to the office to start cancelling classes for the next few days.


	19. Dumb Luck

Storm Stories

Dumb Luck

Ravyn steps out of a cab the next morning at St. Michael's Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey. She checks in at the reception desk and they give her directions to Jeff's room. She takes the elevator to the ICU and easily finds her friends. Some of them are parked out in the waiting room and the rest are in with Jeff. Kimo sees her first and stands up to great her with a hug.

"How is he?" she asks before he can even speak.  
He looks down sadly, "He's still out. They have him intubated. He's in a bad way."  
"Where's my Prince?" she asks quietly.  
"He's in with JJ," Kimo tells her. "She hasn't left his side all night."  
"I'll bring her some coffee," Ravyn sighs. "Thank you for driving last night. Neither of them was going to be safe behind the wheel."  
"No problem," Kimo nods. "You guys have been so good to me. It was the least I could do. Just wish it were under better circumstances."

She tries to smile then waves a quick hello to everyone else before heading to the cafeteria to get coffee for Jenn and Shannon. She's back up the elevator and a few minutes later she's stepping into Jeff's room for the first time. Shannon is sitting next to Jeff with his back to the door and Jenn is sitting across from him on Jeff's other side. Jenn looks up as Ravyn steps in the doorway. She doesn't even bother trying to smile, the energy is completely drained from her face. Shannon looks over his shoulder at what Jenn had looked up at to find his fiancé with two cups of coffee. He smiles and stands up to kiss her. She walks across the room and puts a hand on Jenn's shoulder before putting the cup of coffee in her hands.  
They spend the next few hours rotating in and out of Jeff's room with Jenn never leaving. Everyone else just tried to make the day pass as quickly as possible in the waiting room. By mid afternoon Ravyn forces Jenn to go to the hotel with Kimo and get some rest. It doesn't take long for Jenn to come back to Jeff's side, much to Ravyn's dismay.  
With Jenn back at his side Shannon and Ravyn go to the hotel to try and get some rest. He starts the shower and sits down on the bed next to Ravyn. A moment later he's nearly sobbing in her arms.

"He's going to be okay, babe," Ravyn tries to assure him, but soon finds tears of her own sliding down her cheeks.  
Shannon wipes his eyes, "The last time I talked to him I was so shitty. What if that's the last thing I ever say to him. I don't want my last memories of him to be seeing Jenn all beaten to hell because of him. I just..."

Ravyn can't do more than hold him and let him get it off of his chest. He manages to take a shower and they head back to the hospital. They check on Jenn briefly before everyone heads down to the cafeteria to try and scrounge together some food. After a pathetic meal they return to the waiting room to let Jenn be alone with Jeff a little longer. Not long after they return from dinner they hear Jenn call for help and rush to Jeff's room to find the doctor removing his breathing tube. Jeff's eyes are open and he's responsive to his surroundings. There's a collective sigh of relief when everyone realizes that he's made it past the biggest obstacle. They gather around his bed and make small talk until it becomes obvious that he needs to rest. Everyone except Jenn head to the hotel for the night.

*****

The next day Ravyn, Shannon and Kimo drove home after saying goodbye to everyone and checking on Jeff one more time. They make it home by late afternoon and head to the warehouse to check the mail and get in a quick workout. They hit the gym and manage to have productive workouts before Ravyn and Shannon hit the phones to call their students to tell them that classes were back on schedule. Kimo collected the pile of mail and separated the junk from actual mail. He tossed the junk, as instructed, and took the rest to the house.  
Later that night Ravyn is sitting in her office at the house going through the mail when she comes across an awkward letter. It's addressed to her and has the logo of the Nevada State Corrections Office on the return address label. She slides her finger under the flap and tears the envelope open. Hesitantly, she unfolds the enclosed letter and gasps at what she sees. In her hands she reads a letter from Joe. He writes:

"Dear Ravyn,  
Unfortunate how things ended up in Vegas. Don't worry though. It's not the last you've seen of me. I'm already closer than you can imagine.  
3 Joe"

She lets the letter drop to the table and tries to allow it to sink in. Not wanting to think about it she pushes the paper to the side and attempts to focus on the rest of the bills and training applications. Every couple of minutes though she finds herself looking back at Joe's handwriting. She hears Shannon coming down the hallway and calls to him.

"Babe, can you come here for a minute?" the concern is clear in her voice.  
"What's wrong Princess?" he asks carefully.  
"Come read this," she says.  
He steps into the office and stands at her side while reading the letter. She watches his free hand clench into a fist. He takes a deep breath before letting his hand relax and placing the letter back on the desk. He leans down and kisses her, "He's not getting out of there any time soon, if ever. He's just trying to get us worked up over nothing."  
"You're probably right," she nods. "Hot tub?"  
"Definitely," he winks before walking out the door.

*****

Any thought of the letter disappears over the next few days as a barrage of new students sign up for classes. Shannon teaches while Ravyn and Kimo weed through the new recruits' paperwork. They manage to interview quite a few of them over the phone and make appointments to meet with them the following day.  
The three of them get to the warehouse early the following morning. They had cancelled all of the days' classes in order to interview the new group of prospective students. With how busy the school had become they could now be more selective with their new students. They hit the gym and bang out a quick cardio session before the first group of recruits arrive.  
The first group ends up being a total bust, as all of the potential talent gives up less than halfway through the trial. After a light lunch the afternoon group arrives. They take the time to sit with each potential student individually to make sure that they understand exactly what training will entail. One or two out of the group back out of committing to the training, leaving three to attempt the trial. Kimo and Shannon take them into the ring while Ravyn coaches from outside on the floor. The boys run the students through a series of warm ups before teaching them some basic bumps. After half an hour of drills another student drops out of the trial. The two remaining complete the try out session and agree to come for another class the following day. They smile and head out of the warehouse looking forward to returning.

*****

Over the next few weeks the two guys improve with each class. They show up every day and work hard both in the gym and in the ring. One morning Steve, the trainee whom Ravyn feels has the most potential is potential, is parked outside of the warehouse waiting for Ravyn and Shannon. He quickly explained that he was having some family problems and had to take a break from training. He promised that he would return as soon as his issues were resolved. Ravyn shook his hand and told him that he would be welcomed back any time.  
Later that day Shannon looks up at Ravyn from his spot on the couch in the office and sighs, "So now that Steve is gone can I just tell Mike to come with the regular morning class?"  
"Sure," she shrugs. "But I have a feeling he won't be around much longer either. After five five five's today he looked absolutely beat. He sounded terrible too, like he was having a hard time breathing."  
Shannon nods, "I noticed. He'll never make it through a match with weak lungs."  
"And I feel bad taking his money if he won't be able to utilize the training," she confesses.  
"I'll talk to him about it tomorrow," Shannon promises. "I know he wants to do it, but I don't want to do more damage than good."  
The next day Shannon talks to Mike, who admits to having horrible asthma and honorably bows out of the program. He appreciates that they weren't just trying to take his money and actually cared about his well being.


	20. Vacation

Storm Stories

Vacation

"Babes," Shannon calls up the stairs after dinner Sunday night.

Ravyn pokes her head out of their bedroom door, "Yeah?"

Knowing her location now, he climbs the steps up to their room and flops on the bed. She smirks at him while she puts clothes away into her dresser. He grins, just watching her for a few minutes. She shoots him a look before shaking her head and laughing.

"What?" he asks.

"You tell me," she raises her eyebrows.

He tries to look confused but can't hide his excitement, "I've been thinking. We haven't had a chance to really relax in a while. How about we let Kimo and John take over for a few days and have ourselves a mini vacation."

A huge smile breaks out across her face, "a long weekend sounds so good right now. I could totally use some us time. I feel like I haven't seen you in forever and the wedding is coming faster and faster."

"Well, I was hoping you would agree to the vacation," he chuckles. "I went ahead and booked us a room in New Orleans. We haven't had enough time to ourselves lately. Hopefully Louisiana will be far enough away to actually get some."

Ravyn giggles, "Far enough away would have to be another planet. Our friends can track us down anywhere. When do we leave?"

"Wednesday night," he states. "We'll land around ten, check in and fly back early Monday to be here for classes."

"Four full days away," she sighs. "Have I told you lately that I love you?"

He grins, "Tell me again."

The next few days seem to drag as Ravyn and Shannon struggle to make it through to Wednesday. But finally they're on their flight, ready for a much needed vacation.

Ravyn and Shannon spend their vacation enjoying each others company and exploring New Orleans. They make a point to take one of the haunted town tours and explore some voodoo shops. They also try to visit as many of the areas beautiful above ground cemeteries as they can. They spend a few nights partying on Bourbon St, but mostly just try to relax.

Monday morning they turn their cell phones back on after having had them off all weekend. Instantly they start beeping from the back log of calls, texts and voicemails.

"Shan," Ravyn gasps. "J texted me to say that Jeff's house burned down."

"I got the same one from Matt," the color drains from his face.

Seconds later they're both on their phones calling J and Jeff. Quick conversations relieve their worries when they find out that no one got hurt in the tragedy. Once they're satisfied hearing that everyone was safe they hung up and headed to baggage claim to meet Kimo. He greets them with a huge smile and soon they're on their way to the warehouse to get classes rolling for the day.

Over the next few weeks Ravyn spends every spare moment with her nose buried in wedding plans. A few times she gets so caught up in the planning that she completely spaces on teaching. Shannon and Kimo don't even try to remind her, they just take over the classes.

It's one of those mornings when everything is a blurr. Ravyn is sitting at her desk in her office at the warehouse staring endlessly at the computer screen. She mindlessly clicks a few links and burries her head in her hands. Frustrated, she picks up the phone and dials JJ's number.

After a few rings she answers, "Morning friend."

Ravyn jumps right into business, "Hey, what's your schedule like this week? I sort of need to see if your dress fits."

JJ snickers at her friends' frazzled state, "I think I have the Wednesday house show off. Want me to try and come then?"

"That would be great!" Ravyn let's out a sigh of relief.

The girls say goodbye and hang up. Ravyn rests her head on the desk in exhaustion. Shannon comes in a few minutes later and sends her home to rest.

The next two weeks pass by in a frenzy of activity. With Shannon and taking care of the school Ravyn finally has time to get everything under control for the wedding. She even gets a chance to settle down and have dinner with Kimo and Shannon.

Kimo pushes Shannon out of the kitchen as he works on making his famous steak and eggs. "Would you just relax for a freakin minute?" he laughs. "You're almost as bad as she is! Now go sit down and I'll bring dinner out in a few minutes."

Ravyn looks over her shoulder and sticks her tongue out at him and Shannon flops down next to her on the couch. Kimo snickers and returns to cooking, allowing Ravyn and Shannon to spend a few minutes together. It only takes a second before Ravyn's phone rings.

"Hello friend," she answers.

A dejected sounding JJ replies, "Hey friend."

"Oh no," Ravyn worries. "They aren't screwing you on your time off are they?"

"No no no. We are coming," JJ assures her. "We just aren't going to make our flight. We're driving. There's a bad snowstorm in Cleveland. We're just going to be late... Really late."

Ravyn takes a deep breath, "You'll be careful driving won't you?"

JJ promises that they will and the girls hang up planning to see each other the next day at the warehouse. Ravyn sets her phone down and looks at Shannon with troubled eyes.

"Don't worry babes," he hugs her. "They'll make it."

Kimo brings their dinner in and the three of them try to relax as much as they can, knowing their friends are braving a blizzard to get to New York.

Uncharacteristically the wedding goes off without a hitch. The ceremony takes place according to plan and everyone parties into the night, thoroughly enjoying the celebration.


	21. A Midwest Mission

Storm Stories

A Mid-West Mission

After the wedding Ravyn and Shannon took a short honeymoon to North Carolina to visit Shannon's family. They returned home to find that Kimo had taken excellent care of the house and warehouse. He had really become part of their family. The three of them managed to keep the business running like a well oiled machine.

A few months down the road Ravyn came to the conclusion that she wanted to start slowing down the school and promotion. The number of willing and capable students had begun to dwindle. She discussed with Shannon and Kimo that they could still live comfortably only holding classes two or three times a week and only running one live show a month. Both guys agreed, loving the idea of having more down time.

Ravyn spent the next few weeks hounding JJ about her and Jeff's recent engagement. Every time though, JJ would just laugh it off and say that they were too busy to make any wedding plans. Ravyn is shocked when Jeff's number appears on her cell phone a few days after her last harassing phone call.

"Hello sir," she answers skeptically.

"I need your help," Jeff confesses.

Her interest piques, "Oh do you?"

"I want to surprise Jenn with a wedding," he starts. "We're in Kansas in two months. Do you think you could pick out something she could wear for the ceremony and reception?"

"Not an actual wedding dress right?" she asks.

Jeff laughs, "You know her better than anyone. Do what you think is right."

"I'm on it," she smiles.

"Thanks," Jeff says. "Your plane tickets and hotel reservations are in the mail."

Ravyn laughs to herself at Jeff's promptness, "I'll let the Prince know." she hangs up the phone and practically skips down the hallway to where Shannon is playing a video game with Kimo on the couch. "Guess wo just called me?" she grins like the Cheshire cat.

"JJ," Kimo answers quickly. Assuming he's correct Shannon nods in agreement.

"Jeff," Ravyn doesn't give them the chance to guess again. "And you and I need to go out and shop for a dress for JJ for their surprise wedding!"

Shannon raises an eyebrow, "Oh do we?"

"Indeed," Ravyn grins. "Let's go tomorrow. Jeff said our reservations and plane tickets are already in the mail."

"How are you going to be able to pick out a dress for her to get married in?" Kimo asks perplexed.

"Kimo, really?" Shannon smirks. "JJ and Ravyn have been best friends for like, forever."

"And half of her wardrobe is still in her room so I can double check sizes and styles," Ravyn assures him.

A few weeks later Ravyn and Shannon land at the Kansas City airport. Jeff had meticulously planned out every bit of their trip. They quickly get their bags and head to the gate where Team Xtreme will be waiting for Amy's plane. They see JJ resting with her eyes closed, head on Jeff's shoulder. Ravyn hands Shannon her bag and slowly creeps up behind JJ. She bends down and whispers "Let's start a riot!" in her friends ear.

JJ leaps to life hurdling the plastic chair and hugging Ravyn like crazy. She asks them what they're doing in Kansas and Shannon just barely manages to convince her that they were taking time to visit their friends. JJ's next surprise comes when ChamPain is the next to arrive at the airport with Matt and Jeff's dad, The Legend. They all catch up while they wait for Amy's plane to land. Matt paces impatiently, as if it will help her arrive sooner. Twenty minutes later her plane lands and Matt rushes to meet her at the gate. She's clearly in pain and explains that she hurt herself in a commercial shoot just the other day. The group heads to their hotel and then split up for other activities.

Matt and Amy stay at the hotel with The Legend while everyone else heads to JJ's family home. On the drive there Ravyn expresses her feeling that JJ's parents won't be fans of hers. Shannon and JJ try to convince her otherwise, while Marty just promises to make things fun.

When they arrive things go horribly right from the start. JJ's mom tears into Ravyn for not only taking her only child away, but for letting her get hurt as well. JJ and her mother argue about her career until JJ has had enough. She disappears out the front door leaving her friends standing there awkwardly with her disgruntled parents.

Ravyn shoots Shannon a look then excuses herself outside, leaving him to sweet talk the situation. She steps out of the front door and finds JJ sitting on the hood of their car looking like she had been run over by an emotional mob.

JJ sighs, "I'm sorry about her. Maybe you were right. We should just go. I'll come back tomorrow and talk to them alone."

"I'm sorry friend," Ravyn frowns. "I don't want to say I told you so, but I was expecting a reaction like that. I was the one who took her daughter away."

A voice speaks up from behind them, "No, you didn't."

JJ's mom apologizes for her behavior and explains herself. The two of them make up quickly and Ravyn is understandably forgiven. With everyone now being friendly the night can only improve. JJ explains that she has planned a backyard barbecue, Kansas City style.

JJ and Ravyn hit the kitchen and start working on mashing the potatoes. Jeff, Shannon and JJ's dad head outside to start the meat while Marty begins telling stories from their adventures to JJ's mom. He has her listening intently to a story about JJ. He gets to a part where she kicks Joe squarely in the groin, causing JJ to shout at him in shock. In her brief moment of anger she had raised both of her hands to yell at Marty, causing Ravyn to shriek as the potatoes JJ had been mixing started to fly everywhere. JJ quickly shuts off the mixer when she realizes what's happened, but the damage has been done. She and Ravyn look at each other before bursting into fits of giggles. The boys come in from the grill at the sound of all the commotion in the kitchen. Shannon and Jeff take one look around then desperately try to hide their laughter.

"What happened here?" JJ's dad asks.

Between giggles Ravyn manages to squeak out, "There are potatoes on the wall!"

"We can see that babe. How did they get there?" Shannon snickers.

JJ holds up the mixer, "That would be my doing..."

This prompts JJ to retell the story that Marty had been telling her mother. Her family finally gets to hear the real story of their daughters' life away from Kansas. At one point her mother even thanks Ravyn for taking care of her daughter. The night only improves when Jeff lets JJ in on his plan for the next days wedding. The two of them have never looked happier. Soon everyone heads back to the hotel. JJ follows Ravyn and Shannon to their room to see the dress that her best friend had picked out for her.

The next morning Ravyn knocks on JJ's door, excited to start the wedding preparations. She takes JJ back to her room and gets her cleaned up before starting on her hair and makeup. Once the bride to be is ready, and thoroughly shocked by the arrival of Billy Gunn and Brian James, she's stuffed in a car and whisked towards a secret location. JJ realizes where they are the moment the car exits the highway. A huge smile creeps across her face. The Overland Park Arboretum was one of her favorite photography spots in high school.

Brian performs a fitting semi-formal ceremony in front of what family JJ has living locally. The picturesque waterfall and spring tulips make perfect scenery for their little wedding. Shortly after the ceremony everyone gets back in the cars and heads to the reception hall.

The reception is held at a beautiful banquet hall that JJ had worked at when she had left New York briefly. There were a lot more people at the reception. Ravyn and Shannon quickly spotted Shane Helms and made their way over to see their good friend.. They laughed and talked for a while until someone brought up Joe.

"That dude was fucked up," Shane states.

"He was," Ravyn agrees. "I'm just glad he's finally locked up now."

Shannon nods, "His obsession with JJ was scary."

Shane chuckles to himself, "That mother fucker was like Golem in Lord of the Rings... My Precious!"

His impression on Joe impersonating Golem sends the three of them into an unstoppable bout of laughter.


	22. Ups and Downs

Storm Stories

Ups and Downs

A few weeks after JJ and Jeff's wedding Ravyn and Shannon are busy back at their wrestling school. Ravyn had received a text from JJ a few days earlier about Amy. It turns out that she had somehow managed to break her neck during her commercial shoot and needed to have surgery. Ravyn and Shannon wished her the best and returned to their job. They were hard at work teaching class when a new face walking into the warehouse. He cautiously walks up to the ring where Ravyn takes notice of him.

"How can I help you?" she asks as she rolls out of the ring, shooting Shannon a look to continue the class.  
"I'm Steve," he introduces himself. "I'm interested in the school."  
"I'm Ravyn," she smiles. "I'm the owner. Why don't you come up to the office with me and we can get you some information." he follows her to the office and sits on the couch across from her desk. "So do you have any experience or are you a first timer?"  
"I trained a bit in Chicago," he starts. "Had a few matches there. I just moved to the area and I heard that this is the place to continue my training."  
She explains to him the way things work are her school. She lays out the class schedules and payment plans while she takes him on a tour of the facility. "Do you have your gear here?" she asks as they come back towards the ring at the end of the tour.  
"Always bring your gear," he smiles. "Rule number one at my old school. It's in the car."

He comes back inside with his gear as Shannon wraps up class. Steve heads to the locker room to change while Ravyn fills Shannon in on the situation. When Steve emerges Ravyn watches as he and Shannon work through a few things. Overall she's pleased with her new prospective student.

***

The next few weeks fly by. Steve and Kimo hit it off immediately. They're inseparable, always joking and carrying on. The school is doing well. The shortened class schedule is full and the students all work hard towards the next show. A random phone call from JJ one day gives Ravyn an uneasy feeling, but she brushes the thought away as paranoia. Kimo and Steve make the four of them dinner that they enjoy quietly at the house.

The next morning Ravyn's cell phone rings. She answers as Shannon drives them to the warehouse, "Oh hello friend."  
"Hey friend," JJ responds solemnly. "I've got some bad news."  
"You said yesterday that Jeff was fine," Ravyn gulps. "Don't let me find out he hurt you.."  
"No, nothing like that," JJ says quietly. "Actually, it's worse. I got a call yesterday from the NYPD. They were calling to let me know that Joe has the chance for an early release, on a plea of insanity. They claim that since he has spent time locked up and is on medication now, that he will be safe to set free." Ravyn is silent, "Say something friend."  
"What can we do?" Ravyn asks quietly.  
"They left me a number to call if I want to testify against the appeal," JJ tells her. "I'll text it to you."  
"We can't let this happen.." Ravyn trails off.  
JJ takes a deep breath, "I know friend. And we won't. But I have to let you go. I'll call you soon."

The girls hang up and Ravyn sits silently in the passenger seat of the car. Shannon reaches over and puts his hand on her leg. She looks up at him as a single tear rolls down her cheek.

"They're going to let Joe out of jail," she manages to whisper.

***

Over the next few weeks things change a bit. JJ calls to inform Ravyn that Billy has had a major drug relapse and has overdosed with the help of his new valet, Katie. After being assured that Billy was being taken care of Ravyn spent days on the phone with the police in New York trying to find new ways to keep Joe in jail. JJ calls and let's Ravyn and Shannon know that their new house has been built and invites them down to a house warming party. With the promise that after the party JJ and Jeff will come to New York to empty out JJ's old room at Ravyn's.

They land in North Carolina Friday night and meet JJ at the airport. She helps them get their bags and they head off to Jeff's new house. Shannon watches the familiar scenery pass by, missing North Carolina just a little.

Ravyn catches him looking, "We can stay another day and go visit your mom."  
He nods, "That would be great."

Their conversation ceases as JJ turns down Boys Camp Road. Slowly the new house comes into view and they're in awe of it's beauty. As soon as JJ parks she leads them on the grand tour of the new property. Everything was exactly how Jeff would want it. Ravyn couldn't help but smile. She knew some day she and Shannon would have a place like this.

They settled into the guest room and partied for the next three nights with all of their friends from the dirty south. Monday morning Ravyn and Shannon pick up a rental car and head to Shannon's mom's house. They spend the day with her, just hanging out and catching up. Later that night they catch a flight back to Albany. They expect Kimo to be there waiting for them, but are surprised to see that Steve was there instead.

"Hey guys," he greets them. "Kimo wasn't feeling well, so I offered to come pick you up."  
Shannon smiles, "Thanks man. We appreciate it."  
"Since you're here," Ravyn starts. "I was wondering if you would be interested in working on our show this weekend. It would be your debut here."  
"That would be awesome!" Steve exclaims. "Thank you! Any idea who I would be working?"  
"I was thinking that you and I would work the match right after intermission," she suggests.  
He nods, "That sounds great!"

Steve drops them off at their house and heads out, promising to meet them at the warehouse in the morning. Jeff and JJ arrive Thursday with a small U-Haul truck. They quickly pack everything from JJ's room so they'll have time to hang out with their friends. On Friday everyone heads down to the warehouse to start their pre-show set up routine. JJ helps Ravyn set up the merchandise area while the boys piece together the metal guardrails and the entrance way.

"So are you ready to say goodbye to this place?" Ravyn asks jokingly.  
"Yeah right. You can't get rid of me that easily," JJ laughs.  
Ravyn smiles, "I know. And I don't want to get rid of you. I just don't know what I'm going to do with all that empty space!"  
JJ playfully slaps her friends' arm, "Come on! Think of all the room you'll have to keep extra stuff!"  
"I'm totally going to turn it into an arcade," Ravyn smirks.

They finish their set up and head out to dinner as a group.

***

Ravyn sits straight up from a deep sleep gasping for breath. She glances over at the clock to see that it's barely two am. She stares around the dark room trying to take a deep breath. When she finally calms down a bit she lays back down and buries herself into Shannon's chest.

"What's wrong babe?" he asks sleepily.  
"Bad dream," she mumbles.  
He wraps his arms around her, "Anything I can help with?"  
She swallows hard, "Only if you can promise that Joe won't be getting out of jail."

Immediately he i understands and pulls her closer to him, letting her softly cry on his chest.

***

Everyone works hard to get the warehouse ready for the evening's show. Fans had started lining up hour earlier. And now the doors were ready to open. Fans file in after paying for their tickets and take their seats. Once the last ticket is paid for the show begins. The crowd is excited and they're on their feet at all the right moments.

Intermission gives them a welcome break. JJ and Jeff take pictures and sign autographs as a surprise treat to the fans in attendance. Ravyn meets up with Steve backstage and double checks that he's ready for their match. He nods and shakes her hand as they wait for intermission to come to an end. Shannon walks up and wraps an arm around Ravyn's waist.

"Ready for your New York debut?" he asks Steve.  
"Absolutely," Steve smirks. "You guys pull a pretty good crowd here."  
"Yeah the dirt sheets hype us up pretty well," Ravyn admits. "And now that we only run once a month the crowd is even hotter. They're here religiously."  
Shannon nods, "They don't want to miss anything."  
"I can't wait to get out there," Steve smiles.  
"Well, here's your chance," Ravyn says as she hears the announcer calling intermission to an end.

A few moments later Ravyn's music plays and the crowd explodes for their hometown girl. Steve makes his way from the back to a chorus of boos. JJ joins Shannon behind the curtain to watch their match. They watch together as Steve and Ravyn lock up and begin their fight. They work with Steve as the cocky heel, completely dominating the match. He slides to the outside a few minutes in and steals a fan's water bottle. He pours half of it over his head then drinks some before tossing the bottle aside. Ravyn makes her way over to him and she's met with a boot to the midsection. She doubles over and he rolls back into the ring, mocking her in front of the crowd. Ravyn slowly straightens herself out and makes her way back towards the ring. Before she can roll in he catches her off guard with a baseball slide. She stumbles backwards sliding in the spilt water and crashes into the metal guardrail. The sound of her back slamming into the steel barely covers up the sickening pop in her knee, but the look on her face hides nothing.

As the color drains from her face Steve rolls out of the ring. He knows that she's hurt and gives her a couple of forearms to the head. He carefully tosses her back into the ring. She whispers to him to go home and he delivers his finisher as gently as possible to get the win. He mocks the crowd and flaunts his victory over their hero before heading to the back.

"Yo, she's really hurt," Steve says to Shannon the moment he steps behind the curtain.

Shannon just nods and rushes to the ring to help her. He can see the pain tearing her apart the second he catches her eye. She's got tears welling up, but tries to stay strong. She only has to glance at her knee for him to know where the problem lies. He gingerly helps her off of the ring apron and mostly carries her to the back. She tries to put weight on her right leg, but it instantly fails. Once she has made it through the curtain the medic is on her in an instant.

"What happened friend?" JJ asks with concern in her voice.  
"I fucking slipped in the stupid water," Ravyn says angrily. "And something popped in my knee. It hurts so fucking bad."  
"We're going to have to get you to the hospital," the medic suggests. "I think that a doctor should look at this immediately."  
"Wonderful," Ravyn stays and frustrated tears stream down her face. "Just fucking wonderful."

Shannon stays behind because he's working in the main event and JJ offers to take Ravyn to the ER. They wait a few hours before the doctor sends Ravyn off for X-rays and other tests. When she returns she finds that everyone has gathered in her room.

Shannon is the first at her side, "What did they find?"  
"Nothing yet. We should know within the hour," Ravyn sighs. "How did the rest of the show go?"  
"Everything was fine," he assures her. "We locked up and came right over."  
He recaps the rest of the show for her and JJ until the doctor knocks on the door. Ravyn looks up from her group of friends. Seeing the doctors' surprised expression she answers his question before he can even ask it, "Anything you're going to tell me, they can hear too."  
"Alright," he steps into the room, still looking intimidated. "It looks bad. The scans show that you've torn every major ligament and a few minor ones. Besides that you've pulled muscles in your calf and your thigh. They were trying to compensate for your knee. Those will heal themselves in time, but if we're ever going to have you walking without a limp your going to need surgery."  
"Walking without a limp?" Ravyn is stunned. "I have to be able to wrestle again. My business depends on it."  
The doctor looks down uncomfortably, "I have you scheduled for surgery tomorrow afternoon. We'll see how it looks after that and go from there."

She just nods knowing that there is no point in arguing about it now. She's sends everyone except Shannon home. They never really fall asleep and are more than a little surprised to see Kimo before seven am.

"I think you should take a look at this," he says handing Ravyn a sheet of paper.  
She reads with Shannon over her shoulder. "What do you think Kimo?" Shannon asks. "You knew him better than any of us."  
"I don't know. I doubt it could have been intentional," Kimo shakes his head.  
"Whatcha reading there friend?" JJ asks as she and Jeff walk into the room.  
"A very interesting Internet article," Ravyn says handing JJ the paper. "Seems the dirt sheets think Steve might have been out to end my career."


	23. Opportunities

Storm Stories 23

Opportunities

"How did he react after we left?" Ravyn asks openly.

Shannon shrugs, "I went to the ring right after I got you in the car."

"As soon as he came back through gorilla he threw his stuff in his bag and bounced," Kimo admitted. "He didn't even pick up his pay."

Ravyn's eyes widen, "Really?" Kimo just mods. "Call him, find out what happened."

The group sits and watches Kimo call Steve's phone. When he doesn't answer Kimo's cell they suggest trying the hospital room line. After trying every available option they being to realize that they're being avoided. Finally, the group beings to disperse, when they notice how late it had suddenly gotten. Jeff, JJ and Kimo start to head to their cars when Ravyn insists that Shannon go with them. He protests until he sees how tired she looks. She pulls him in to kiss him good night and promises to see him in a few hours before nodding off in front of him.

The next morning Ravyn awoke feeling groggy and thankful for her pain medication. Her knee had been wrapped in ice for the entire night and the swelling had visibly gone down. Her doctor checks in on her briefly, mentioning that they would like to see the swelling reduced a bit more before surgery. He sends in a nurse to change her ice dressing and says that he will see her later that afternoon. She spends the morning thinking about Steve and why he would do something like this. He had seemed so genuine.

Her concentration is broken by the appearance of Shannon in her doorway. He smiles when he sees that she's awake. They're joined a few minutes later by Jeff, JJ and Kimo. "Morning guys," Ravyn greets them.

JJ smiles, "Morning friend. How are you feeling?"

Ravyn gives her a thumbs up, "Whatever they're giving me is amazing!" A flash of panic crosses JJ's face. "Don't worry friend. As soon as I'm out of here there will be no pain pills. I don't want them anywhere near my house."

"So, what time do you go in?" Jeff asks, changing the subject.

"Two," she sighs. "I'm so hungry, I can't wait to eat everything."

Kimo gets excited, "First stop, Golden Corral!"

Ravyn nods vigorously, "Yes, please!"

They all laugh. A nurse comes in to make sure Ravyn is briefed for the procedure. They all stay and hang out until she's taken in for surgery.

JJ and Jeff had returned to their lives on the road and Ravyn was finally home from the hospital. The surgery had been successful and the doctors had given her strict orders to keep the massive immobilizing brace on at all times. The only exception was when she was in the shower. For once, she actually listened. She wanted nothing to hold her back from being able to wrestle again. Shannon and Kimo made sure she was well taken care of while still running classes twice a week.

One Thursday night after class the boys came home with Chinese food. They set up on the couch and popped in a movie to go with dinner. Shannon went out to the mailbox to retrieve the days pile of junk. He handed everyone their shares and they began the movie.

As the credits start to roll Ravyn reaches for her pile of mail. A few magazines, a bill, the rent statement for the warehouse, and a random envelope. Her name was printed on it by a computer, there was no return address label and it had a plain silver sticker sealing it shut. She carefully tears the envelope open. Inside is a single sheet of printer paper folded in thirds.

Shannon looks over at her, picking up on the awkward vibe she's giving off. He stays quiet and watches her unfold the contents of the envelope. She takes a moment to read the letter to herself before sighing, folding the piece of paper back up and handing it to Shannon.

"Steve was working for Joe," she says before he can even open the letter. "He sent him in as a mole."

Anger completely overtakes Kimo, "This is fucking bullshit! This guys is in jail and he's still managing to screw with you guys!"

Calmly Ravyn answers him, "He's really just angry that I turned him down all those years ago. Ad he's furious that JJ did the same. He's crazy. Part of me feels bad for him, because he's just desperately seeking attention." Shannon and Kimo stare at her in utter shock. She shakes her head as if to clear the fog. "I'm sorry, that must have been the drugs talking. Dudes a fucking psycho."

"You need to call JJ," Shannon tells her. "If he planted a mole here at the school then he could have one headed her way too. He could have had you killed."

"Instead he just wanted to destroy my livelihood," she nods. "Take away everything that makes me tick. This attack was calculated. He was out to hurt me more than just physically."

Kimo grins, "This guy really has no idea who he's messing with."

After a lengthy phone call with JJ a few days later Ravyn starts to feel better about the Joe situation. Both of them had been on the phone with NYPD almost daily. Ravyn had mailed them the letter she had received ad evidence. They had also been getting anyone that had had experiences with Joe to make phone calls too. The police seemed to be fairly positive that all of their testimonials would help keep Joe locked up.

Her home office phone rings as she's daydreaming about Joe being beaten in prison. "Storm," she answers.

"Hey kid, how are you feeling? Heard you got pretty banged up," the voice asks.

It takes a few moments for her brain to register who's on the other end of the call. "Damnit Corino, where the hell have you been all my life?" He laughs at their joke. "Knee is almost ready to come out of this damn brace. It's been rough. What have you been up to?"

"Same old shit," he laughs. "Just being an asshole, like usual. But listen, I've got a Japan tour coming up in about a month. I was wondering if you had any students you think could carry my bags."

She smirks, "Oh, is that what we're calling it now? I've got one or two I'd love to ship out with you for the experience."

"Great," Corino responds excitedly. "Figure all that out and shoot me their info. I'll work on travel arrangements."

"I'll have everything to you in a few days," she promises. "It was good hearing from you."

"You too Hun," she can hear him smile. "You'll be back soon. Nothing has ever stopped you before. You're the most stubborn person I know."

They laugh and say their goodbyes before hanging up. Ravyn grins and begins flipping through her student files.

After her doctors appointment the next day Shannon takes Ravyn out to lunch. As they're finishing their meal she remembers her phone call with Steve Corino the day before. "So I got an interesting phone call yesterday," she starts. "Steve Corning called looking for students to take on a Japan tour."

Shannon's eyes light up, "Really? Did he say how many he wanted?"

"Sounds like just one or two," she tells him.

"So," he pauses. "Who do you want to send?"

She sighs, "You know I don't want him to go away, but we can't keep him from the opportunity. Kimo is first on my list."

He just grins, "He's my first choice too. Japan could be a once in a lifetime deal. And Corino will teach him a ton about international wrestling."

She nods in agreement as they continue to discuss who else they could send.

Shannon careful set down the barbell after his last set. He looks across the weight room at his wife, who is doing some upper body work while her knee heals. He walks over to her and smiles. "You really don't know how to just relax and do nothing do you?" He jokes.

She laughs, "Hey, if I can't even walk normally at least let me enjoy picking stuff up and putting it down."

"Speaking of picking stuff up," he pauses. "Did Corino get back to you?"

"He did," she confirms. "He only has room for one this trip. But if everything does well he can bring more on the next tour."

"So, when do we tell him?" Shannon asks.

"I think we should tell him when he gets here," she states. "I don't want it to be in front of the other students. And I want to give him a chance to say no if he wants to."

He nods, "That's fair. But if he says no I'm going to stretch the hell out of him."

Moments later the door to the warehouse opens and Kimo walks inside. He wanders to the doorway of the weight room where he sees Ravyn and Shannon. "Hey guys," he greets them.

Shannon smiles. "Hey buddy," Ravyn grins. "Got any major plans for the next few months?"

"Umm," he pauses. "No, I don't think so. Why, what's up?"

"A very good friend of mine asked if I had any students who I would consider sending with him on a tour of Japan," she informs him.

Kimo's jaw drops, "And you think I'm good enough to go?"

She nods, "You were Shannon and I's first choice. There's a lot for you to learn over there. And we wanted to give you this once in a lifetime opportunity."

"I don't know what to say," Kimo says, stunned.

"We were hoping for 'Yes, I'd love to go," Shannon kids as Ravyn chuckles.

"Yes!" Kimo exclaims. "I'd love to go! Thank you!" He rushes over and hugs Ravyn as gently as his enthusiasm will allow. "When do I leave?"

"Two weeks," she tell him. "So I want you in the gym every day. I want cardio every day. And I want you in the ring running drills every day until you leave. They're not going to go easy on you ver there. Picture basic training all over again. And you'll be representing not only me and Shannon but our company as well. So you're not to embarrass us. Give them everything you've got."

Kimo nods, "Yes ma'am! Guess I'll start now." He shakes Shannon's hand before heading off to the locker room to get changed.

"He's going to be awesome over there," Shannon states.

"Indeed," Ravyn agrees.

Kimo had packed up and left for Japan with Steve Corino a few weeks earlier. He had even called to tell his trainers that he had received an offer to stay for a six month training loop, which the encouraged him to go for. Ravyn had finally been allowed to take the giant immobilizing brace off of her knee. She had started rehab immediately and the doctors were pleased with her progress. She was careful not to over do it, but she didn't baby herself either. She has been busy filling out paperwork for Joe's trial when her phone rang with a familiar number.

"Oh, hello friend," she answered excitedly.

"Hey friend," JJ responds. "Do you have a few minutes?"

"For you," Ravyn pauses for dramatic effect. "Anything."

JJ laughs, "Listen. I know you're feelings about working for Vince. But over the past few days he's been threatening to fire his head trainers and a few of the road agents. I sort of put the bug in his ear that you might be available."

"J," Ravyn stammers. "I..."

"Listen, the money will be really good," JJ explains. "You'll be back on the road with us again. Access to the countries best doctor and physical therapists. The Prince will probably get back on tv and again, we'll be back traveling together."

Ravyn laughs, "Well, when you put it like that kid I may actually have to consider it! Let me talk to the Prince and I'll call you back tomorrow."

"Deal," JJ agrees.


End file.
